(Reuters) – The United Auto Workers (UAW) union has warned of a coordinated strike against the Detroit Three automakers, if an agreement is not reached on a new contract covering some 150,000 workers.
Negotiations over a new deal began in July but the three automakers – General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler-parent Stellantis – and the UAW have made little headway on the terms of the contract.
The current contract expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on Sept. 14 (0359 GMT the next day). Here is a timeline of events beginning with the election of the new UAW chief in March:
Date Development
March 25 Shawn Fain
wins the race
for the role of UAW president;
vows to take a tough stance with the Big
Three automakers.
July 10 The union says it will open contract talks
with Detroit’s Big Three automakers starting
July 13.
July 11 Fain says the union is
not afraid to hold a strike
at any of the automakers without
a fair contract.
July 19 Fain meets President Joe Biden at the White
House as the union briefed the staff on
contract talks with the Detroit Three
automakers.
Aug. 1 The UAW presents demands to Stellantis, says
the union is seeking ambitious benefit
increases from the Detroit Three, including
double-digit pay rises and defined-benefit
pensions for all workers.
Aug. 2 The union presents contract demands to
General Motors
Aug. 3 The union presents contract demands to Ford
Aug. 8 Fain angrily tosses contract proposals from
Stellantis in a trash can, citing numerous
concessions that the Chrysler parent is
seeking in labor talks.
Aug. 25 The UAW says 97% of voting members were in
favor of authorizing a strike at the Detroit
Three if an agreement is not reached before
Sept. 14.
Aug. 31 The union says it has filed unfair labor
practice charges with the National Labor
Relations Board (NLRB) against GM and
Stellantis, saying they have refused to
bargain in good faith.
Aug. 31 Ford makes a contract offer to the UAW,
providing hourly employees with 15%
guaranteed combined wage increases, lumpsum
payments and improved benefits over the life
of the contract
Sept. 1 The U.S. NLRB says it will investigate unfair
labor practice charges filed by the UAW union
against GM and Stellantis.
Sept 6 The UAW makes a labor contract
counterproposal on economic issues to Ford
Sept. 7 GM makes counteroffer to the UAW that
includes a 10% wage hike and two additional
3% annual lumpsum payments over four years.
Fain calls the offer “insulting.”
Sept. 8 Stellantis says it offered U.S. hourly
workers a 14.5% wage hike over four years but
no lumpsum payments.
Sept. 8 Fain says the UAW union wants a deal to avoid
walkouts at the Detroit Three but expects to
go on strike against all of them next week if
they do not improve their contract offers.
Sept. 11 Stellantis says it plans to make a new
counteroffer to the UAW after the union made
its own revised offer on Sunday ahead of the
expiration of the current four-year labor
deal Thursday night.
(Reporting by Ananta Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva)
