Current:Home > MyUAW strike vote announced, authorization expected amidst tense negotiations -MoneyStream
UAW strike vote announced, authorization expected amidst tense negotiations
View
Date:2025-04-18 20:50:29
UAW members are being asked to give union leaders the OK to call for a strike as negotiators continue their work ahead of the expiration next month of contracts with the Detroit Three.
The strike authorization vote is considered something of formality during contract talks with Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Stellantis, which owns Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat, but this year’s heated rhetoric adds perhaps a bit more significance to the process. The vote, assuming it's approved as widely expected, does not mean a strike will happen. Contracts are in effect until 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain was scheduled to host a Facebook Live session at 6 p.m. Tuesday to “address the slow pace of negotiations and announce preparations for strike authorization votes to be held next week by 150,000 UAW members at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis,” according to a union news release earlier in the day.
UAW President Shawn Fain on FB live Tuesday
After UAW strike vote, action expected but not guaranteed
“Whether or not there’s a strike next month is entirely up to the Big Three automakers,” Fain said in the news release. “Our priorities are clear, the companies can afford them, and there's plenty of time for the Big Three to get serious about these negotiations. This is about economic justice for the autoworkers who make this industry run, and who have generated record profits for Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.”
Fain and other union leaders have been outspoken for months in calling for the automakers to share more of the billions of dollars in profits they’ve made over the past decade with autoworkers, to ensure a “just transition” to electric vehicles and to resume benefits, such as cost-of-living adjustments, that were given up in past years. The auto companies contend they need to keep costs low in order to remain competitive during the expensive EV transition and against non-union operations, including Tesla and foreign companies, and some officials have been quick to point to healthy profit-sharing checks as examples of how they say autoworkers are currently benefiting.
Off the starting line:Here's what happened when UAW, Detroit Three leaders kicked off bargaining
Biden weighs in amidst tense negotiations
The talk has been particularly pointed so far during these negotiations, and has included significantly more direct outreach from both sides to union members. Various industry watchers have predicted a strike, although many also say a work stoppage is not inevitable.
This week, President Joe Biden weighed in, urging the sides to reach a fair contract.
Regarding the strike authorization vote, UAW Vice President Rich Boyer, who heads the union’s Stellantis department, sent a letter Monday to local union presidents and other officials calling on them to schedule a vote “as soon as your bylaws and practices permit,” with the results to be reported by the end of the day on Aug. 24.
Staff writer Jamie L. LaReau contributed to this report. Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber.
More:Stellantis leader says negotiations with UAW require 'focus on reality'
veryGood! (94)
Related
- Olympic men's basketball bracket: Results of the 5x5 tournament
- Federal judge: West Virginia can restrict abortion pill sales
- Why do some police lie? Video contradicting official narrative is 'common,' experts say
- Why Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Are Our Favorite Ongoing Love Story
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- New Mexico governor demands changes to make horse racing drug-free
- Keyshawn Johnson will join FS1's 'Undisputed' as Skip Bayless' new co-host, per reports
- Estonia’s pro-Ukrainian PM faces pressure to quit over husband’s indirect Russian business links
- Plunge Into These Olympic Artistic Swimmers’ Hair and Makeup Secrets
- 3 killed in Southern California bar shooting by former cop who attacked his estranged wife
Ranking
- Immigration issues sorted, Guatemala runner Luis Grijalva can now focus solely on sports
- Early Apple computer that helped launch $3T company sells at auction for $223,000
- San Diego Padres reliever Robert Suárez suspended for 10 games using banned sticky stuff
- Zillow offers 1% down payment to attract more homebuyers
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Amazon Shoppers Swear By These Affordable Dog Products With Over 20,000 Five-Star Reviews
- Jackson Hole: Powell signals additional rate hikes may be necessary to maintain strong economy
- List of NFL players suspended for violating gambling policies
Recommendation
'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
Beloved wild horses that roam Theodore Roosevelt National Park may be removed. Many oppose the plan
How Billy Ray Cyrus Repaired His Achy Breaky Heart With Firerose
Mississippi factory rolls out first electric-powered truck from California-based company
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
The secret entrance that sidesteps Hollywood picket lines
Stephen Strasburg, famed prospect and World Series MVP who battled injury, plans to retire
Influencer Beauty Couch Dead at 22 After Police Find Body Near Burned Car