Curt Cranford and Carolyn Nippa on the picket line outside General Motors’ Willow Run Redistribution Center in Belleville, Michigan. (Kyle Davidson)

The United Auto Workers on Monday reached a tentative contract agreement with General Motors on day 46 of the strike.

The announcement follows previous UAW tentative pacts with the other Detroit Three automakers, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis, which were announced on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively. The union went on strike on Sept.15.

“Once again, we have won several astonishing victories…,” UAW President Shawn Fain said on Monday evening. “We were relentless in our fight to win a record contract, and that is exactly what we accomplished.”

“GM is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with the UAW that reflects the contributions of the team while enabling us to continue to invest in our future and provide good jobs in the U.S.,” Barra said. “We are looking forward to having everyone back to work across all of our operations, delivering great products for our customers, and winning as one team.”

It looked as though the UAW and GM were close to a deal amid negotiations late last week, with the company matching the 25% raise included in Ford’s tentative agreement that would expire in April 2028. But the two sides did not clinch an agreement, so on Saturday, the UAW called up GM Spring Hill Manufacturing, which is south of Nashville, Tenn., to join the strike.

The tentative agreement with GM includes 25% in base wage increases through April 2028, and will cumulatively raise the top wage by 33% compounded with estimated cost of living adjustment to over $42 an hour. The starting wage will increase by 70% compounded with estimated COLA, to over $30 an hour, according to a UAW press release.

“Like the agreements with Ford and Stellantis, the GM agreement has turned record profits into a record contract,” the UAW said in a statement. “The deal includes gains valued at more than four times the gains from the union’s 2019 contract. It provides more in base wage increases than GM workers have received in the past 22 years.”

Curt Cranford, 66, of Northville, is 38-year GM employee who works at Willow Run Redistribution in Belleville.

“I like the way Shawn Fain did this one. I mean, we were the sole company picked in 2019,” Cranford said on Monday afternoon.

The UAW carried out a 40-day strike against GM in 2019. But this time, the union launched a strike against all three U.S. automakers.

“You know, there’s too many times I think the union and the company are too close together. … We gave up things years ago and it’s time to get some back,” Cranford added. “I’m gonna retire this year. So some of that stuff isn’t gonna affect me. I mean, the immediate raise that’d be good for me and all that. … I’m just glad for the people behind me.”

GM workers will return to work while the agreement goes through the ratification process, with the UAW National GM Council convening in Detroit to review the agreement, according to the UAW statement.

The strike against the Detroit Three included about 46,000 workers and 40 plants and part centers across the nation. As part of the UAW’s “Stand Up Strike” strategy, not all plants went on strike, with leadership periodically calling up more workers to join the picket line at pivotal points in negotiations.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer praised the pact.

“This agreement supports the hardworking men and women of the UAW and ensures that GM can continue to grow and expand right here in Michigan, where they were established over a century ago,” Whitmer said. “I urge swift ratification of this deal so we can keep competing with other states and nations to lead the future of mobility.

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) toasted the GM agreement Monday afternoon before the deal was announced publicly. He highlighted the history of Flint’s 1936 to 1937 “The Sit Down Strikes” against GM, which led to the first collective bargaining agreement between workers and the automotive companies.

“When workers stand together, they can achieve great things. UAW members want what every American wants — to put in an honest days’ work for a good-paying job, a job that can support a family and allow workers to retire with dignity,” Kildee said. “In Congress, I will continue to be a champion for working people and unions so we can grow the middle class.”

President Joe Biden talked with Fain on Monday. Last month, the president joined Fain on the picket line at Willow Run Redistribution Center, which was a historic move for a sitting president.

“This historic contract is a testament to the power of unions and collective bargaining to build strong middle-class jobs while helping our most iconic American companies thrive,” Biden added. “The final word on these tentative agreements will ultimately come from UAW members themselves in the days and weeks to come.”

Carolyn Nippa, 51 of Canton, has worked at GM for 26 years and has been through three union strikes during her lifetime. On Monday afternoon, Nippa was on the same picket line that Biden had joined.

“We gave up concessions back in 2007 to 2008 and, you know, it’s time to get them back,” Nippa said. “We were falling behind. We were definitely falling behind.”

Nippa praised the union’s strategy of launching “a different kind of strike” against all the automakers at once instead of picking one company as a strike target, like in the past.

“It was very effective and I’d like to see the same formula going forward,” Nippa said.

UAW President Shawn Fain on Sunday outlined his union’s tentative contract settlement with Ford Motor Co. during a 25-minute Facebook live address. He was joined by Chuck Browning, the union’s vice president who headed negotiations with Ford.

“There was a time when it was hard to wear this wheel,” said Fain as he pointed to the UAW logo on his shirt and referring to past corruption that tarnished the 88-year-old organization. “And like many of you, I walked a lonely path. What we have accomplished has turned this wheel around. When I see that wheel, I no longer see a union on defense, in decline or under threat. When I see that wheel, I see power.”

The union on Sept. 15 launched a strike against the Detroit Three automakers, Ford, GM and Stellantis.

The Ford tentative agreement, which was announced on Wednesday, includes a 25% wage increase over 4.5 years, starting with an initial pay hike of 11%.

UAW leadership is recommending members approve the deal.

The tentative deal, which must be ratified by members, includes $8.1 billion in manufacturing investments and could give workers up to $70,000 in extra pay over the 4.5 years life of the proposed contract. It also eliminates all lower wage tier plants. Moreover, temporary workers will more than double their pay. Permanent workers could see top wage rates rise by more than 30% to $42.60 per hour by 2028, including estimated cost of living allowances.

The company will have the opportunity to offer an unlimited number of $50,000 buyouts to older workers earning the top rate. As it stands today, Ford can replace them with younger hires who will earn less than the top wage for three years.

More details are posted online.?

Fain also indicated that the Detroit Three strike is the beginning of a new UAW push to organize other automakers.

“One of our biggest goals coming out of this historic contract victory is to organize like we’ve never organized before,” Fain said. “When we return to the bargaining table in 2028, it won’t just be with the Big Three. It will be the Big Five or Big Six.”

On Saturday, the UAW announced that it also has reached a tentative agreement to end the 44-day strike against Stellantis.

The union has not reached a deal with General Motors, the third automaker of the Detroit Three. GM made new offers late this week that match a 25% raise included in Ford’s tentative agreement that would expire in April 2028.

On Saturday, the UAW called up GM Spring Hill Manufacturing, which is south of Nashville, to join the strike.

This story is republished from Michigan Advance,?a sister publication of Kentucky Lantern and part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.?

Workers stand in a line on strike outside the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Oct. 18, 2023. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer)

The United Auto Workers (UAW) said on Wednesday night that the union has a potential deal with Ford Motor Co. to end the strike against the automaker after 41 days on strike against the Detroit Three — which also includes General Motors and Stellantis.

The agreement includes a 25% wage increase over 4.5 years, starting with an initial pay hike of 11%. UAW members will have to ratify the deal.

“The gains in the deal are valued at more than four times the gains from the 2019 contract,” the union said in a statement.

In a video address by UAW President Shawn Fain and UAW Vice President Chuck Browning, the union leaders gave some details of the agreement, while outlining next steps in the ratification process.

“For months we’ve said that record profits mean record contracts. And UAW family, our Stand Up Strike has delivered. What started at three plants at midnight on Sept. 15, has become a national movement,” said Fain. “We won things nobody thought possible. Since the strike began, Ford put 50% more on the table than when we walked out. This agreement sets us on a new path to make things right at Ford, at the Big Three, and across the auto industry. Together, we are turning the tide for the working class in this country.”=

Ford confirmed the deal in a news statement Wednesday night.

“We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with the UAW covering our U.S. operations,” the company said.

“Ford is proud to assemble the most vehicles in America and employ the most hourly autoworkers. We are focused on restarting Kentucky Truck Plant, Michigan Assembly Plant and Chicago Assembly Plant, calling 20,000 Ford employees back to work and shipping our full lineup to our customers again,” the automaker said in a statement. “The agreement is subject to ratification by Ford’s UAW-represented employees. Consistent with the ratification process, the UAW will share details with its membership.”

UAW Vice President Chuck Browning said the tentative agreement with Ford has historic wins.

“Our union has united in a way we haven’t seen in years. From the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, our members came together to tell the Big Three with one voice that record profits mean a record contract,” said Browning. “Thanks to the power of our members on the picket line and the threat of more strikes to come, we have won the most lucrative agreement per member since Walter Reuther was president.”

During a Friday livestream, Fain had detailed the latest proposals at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, highlighting the shortcomings of the latter’s current offer. The union represents about 150,000 members.

The latest picket site on Tuesday at GM’s Arlington Assembly plant in Texas brought the total number of UAW members on strike at the Big Three automakers to more than 45,000.

The UAW remains on strike against GM and Stellantis, but the Ford deal could become the blueprint to settle those contracts.

The strike began on Sept. 15 with a walkout against three assembly plants in Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. It has since grown to include eight assembly plants and 38 parts distribution centers in 22 states.

President Joe Biden in September made a historic visit to the picket line alongside Fain at the Willow Run Redistribution Center in Belleville. He said in a statement Wednesday night that he applauds the “UAW and Ford for coming together after a hard fought, good faith negotiation and reaching a historic tentative agreement tonight.

“This tentative agreement provides a record raise to auto workers who have sacrificed so much to ensure our iconic Big Three companies can still lead the world in quality and innovation. Ultimately, the final word on this contract will be from the UAW members themselves in the days and weeks to come. I’ve always believed the middle class built America and unions built the middle class. That is especially the case for UAW workers who built an iconic American industry,” Biden said.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also congratulated the UAW and Ford for reaching an “historic deal that benefits our world-class auto workers and helps this world-class automaker succeed.”

“There is a lot riding on these negotiations,” Whitmer said through a statement. “We are in a fierce competition with the rest of the world for the future of manufacturing — and all eyes are on Michigan,” Whitmer said in a statement. “We can be the example to the rest of the nation on how to bring jobs back home from overseas and keep making stuff here in Michigan.

“I hope this momentum will help the UAW and the remaining companies reach an agreement so Michiganders can get back to doing what they do best. Michigan is home to phenomenal companies powered by the best auto workers in the world. Let’s keep it that way,” Whitmer added.

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) agreed with Whitmer.

“I’m pleased to see that the UAW and Ford have reached a tentative agreement that deals workers in,” Stevens said. “This tentative agreement, if approved by the UAW members, builds towards living wages and fair benefits while making sure we are building the future of mobility right here in America.”

Advance Editor Susan J. Demas contributed to this story.

This story is republished from Michigan Advance,?a sister publication of Kentucky Lantern and part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.?

Members of the UAW picket line in Delta Township, Michigan on Sept. 29, 2023. (Photo by Anna Liz Nichols)

As an escalating workers’ strike heads toward its sixth week, about 5,000 union members at General Motors’ Arlington Assembly in Texas on Tuesday joined the United Auto Workers (UAW) walkout against the Detroit Three.

The UAW described the action as an effort against “General Motors’ largest plant and biggest moneymaker.”

Workers there build the Chevrolet Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade SUVs, among other models. Texas is the second-largest state in America and isn’t considered one of America’s most union-friendly.

“Another record quarter; another record year. As we’ve said for months: record profits? equal record contracts.” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “It’s time GM workers, and the whole working class, get their fair share.”

The latest strike site comes after about 6,800 United Auto Workers (UAW) members at Stellantis’ Sterling Heights Assembly Plant took to the picket line on Monday.

Fain detailed during a Friday livestream the current proposals at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, highlighting the shortcomings of the latter’s current offer. All three of the Detroit automakers have offered 23% wage increases and have agreed to eliminate wage tiers, Fain said in recent days.

General Motors said it was “disappointed by the escalation of this unnecessary and irresponsible strike.”

“Last week, we provided a comprehensive offer to the UAW that increased the already substantial and historic offers we have made by approximately 25% in total value. It is time for us to finish this process, get our team members back to work and get on with the business of making GM the company that will win and provide great jobs in the U.S. for our people for decades to come,” the company said in a statement.

The picket at Arlington Assembly brings the total number of UAW members on strike at the Big Three automakers to more than 45,000.

The strike began on Sept. 15 with a walkout against three assembly plants in Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. It has since grown to include eight assembly plants and 38 parts distribution centers in 22 states.

Former President Donald Trump’s plans to skip the second GOP presidential candidate debate and head to Michigan to meet with striking autoworkers isn’t going over well with the United Auto Workers (UAW) top official.?

“Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers,” UAW President Shawn Fain said. “We can’t keep electing billionaires and millionaires that don’t have any understanding what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to get by and expecting them to solve the problems of the working class.”

The UAW has not endorsed in the 2024 presidential election.?

Currently, the UAW represents about 150,000 members across the country. For the first time in the union’s 88-year history, all three Detroit automakers — Stellantis, Ford and General Motors — are strike targets.

The union is striking at three initial plants: Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant, GM’s Wentzville plant in Missouri and Stellantis’ Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio.

The GOP debate is scheduled for Sept. 27 in California at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. Trump plans to travel to Detroit “according to two Trump advisers with knowledge of the plans, injecting himself into the labor dispute between striking autoworkers and the nation’s leading auto manufacturers,” according to New York Times reporting.?

“The all Electric Car is a disaster for both the United Auto Workers and the American Consumer. They will all be built in China and, they are too expensive, don’t go far enough, take too long to charge, and pose various dangers under certain atmospheric conditions. If this happens, the United Auto workers will be wiped out, along with all other auto workers in the United States. The all Electric Car policy is about as dumb as Open Borders and No Voter I.D. IT IS A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER!” Trump posted on social media last week.

The former president, who is facing 91 charges from his four indictments, has been critical of Fain.

“I think he’s not doing a good job in representing his union because he’s not going to have a union in three years from now,” Trump said of Fain. “Those jobs are all going to be gone because all of those electric cars are going to be made in China.”

Trump’s campaign also is set to run a radio ad against Biden in Toledo, Politico reports.

“He’s [Biden] turned his back on the autoworkers by cutting a deal that uses American tax dollars to help fund China’s electric car business. That’s a stake in the heart for American autoworkers, and they can count on President Trump to change that,” the ad says.

While serving as president, Trump essentially took a neutral stance during the UAW’s last strike against one of the Detroit Three — its? 2019 action against General Motors that lasted 40 days. The Republican did not go to the picket line.

“Here we go again with General Motors and the United Auto Workers. Get together and make a deal!” he tweeted on Sept. 15, 2019.?

The previous year, in May 2018, Trump issued Executive Order No. 13837 that hurt a union’s ability to represent workers by preventing union stewards from using official time to aid employees in preparing or pursuing grievances.??

This time, the UAW is fighting for increased wages, a 32-hour work week and better pension benefits, among other issues such as an end to tiered compensation between workers with different lengths of service.

Biden, Dems and unions slam Trump

President Joe Biden, a Democrat who defeated Trump in the 2020 election, blasted his former opponent.?

“Donald Trump is going to Michigan next week to lie to Michigan workers and pretend he didn’t spend his entire failed presidency selling them out at every turn,” Ammar Moussa, spokesperson for Biden-Harris 2024, said. “Instead of standing with workers, Trump cut taxes for the super-wealthy while auto companies shuttered their doors and shipped American jobs overseas.?

“He’s said he would’ve let auto companies go bankrupt, devastating the industry and upending millions of lives. That’s why Trump lost Michigan in 2020 and his MAGA [Make America Great Again] friends further decimated the Michigan Republican Party and cost them 2022. No self-serving photo op can erase Trump’s four years of abandoning union workers and standing with his ultra-rich friends.”

Biden has not announced plans to visit with striking workers, although several of his allies, like U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have done so.

On Tuesday, U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) and Haley Stevens (D-Waterford) joined Michigan Democrats for a press call slamming GOP former president Donald Trump’s “anti-worker record following reporting” of his planned visit to Michigan next week.?

Both speakers highlighted how Trump’s “MAGAnomics” [Make America Great Agenda] agenda “hurt autoworkers, incentivized companies to ship jobs overseas, and lined the pockets of billionaires and big corporations at the expense of Michigan’s middle class.”

The call also spotlighted the “stark contrast” between Trump and President Joe Biden —”who has a proven record of being the most pro-union president in history and a demonstrated history of standing up for workers,” according to a press release issued by the Michigan Democratic Party.?

“Trump was one of the most anti-worker presidents this country ever had. He showed us what he really stands for when he said he would have let the auto companies go bankrupt in 2008,” said Dingell. “The last thing Michigan’s autoworkers need right now is more empty promises or kerosene on a fire. So while President Trump’s gonna try to come in and erase his history … I think that Michiganders are going to know what the record was and will reject his anti-worker agenda.”

Stevens argued that Trump did little to address negotiations between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the Detroit Three.

“He signed into place a tax law that gave billions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthiest and did hardly anything, if close to nothing, for the middle class,” Stevens said. “I find this disrespectful to the men and women of the UAW on the picket line right now. Donald Trump can take his politics elsewhere.”

United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters General President Mark McManus also threw shade on a Trump strike visit.??

“When Donald Trump was first elected president, he invited me into the White House during the first days of his administration and promised that he would pass the largest infrastructure bill in generations. He claimed to be a builder, just like us. But after four years, one thing was clear: when it comes to the bread and butter issues our members care about – fair wages, safe job sites, and the ability to retire with the dignity we earned – Donald Trump is just another fraud.”

Other GOP candidates

Several other 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls have taken anti-union stances.?

“I was a union buster. I didn’t want to bring in companies that were unionized simply because I didn’t want to have that change the environment in our state. We very much watched out for workers. … We didn’t encourage middlemen between companies and their workers. We encouraged workers to have that direct communication with them,” Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, told Fox News in an interview on Saturday.

Haley also said on Fox News Tuesday that Biden’s pro-union stance was to blame for the strike.

“When you have a president that’s constantly saying go union, go union, this is what you get. The unions get emboldened, and then they start asking for things that companies have a tough time doing,” Haley said.

Mike Pence, former vice president under Trump, was asked by CNN on Sunday about the “general fairness” of higher CEO pay compared to their workers’ salaries.

“That ought to be left to the shareholders of that company. I’m somebody that believes in free enterprise,” Pence said. “I think those are decisions that can be made by shareholders and creating pressure. And I will fully support how these publicly traded companies operate. I’m not interested in government mandates or government bullying when it comes to those kind of issues.”

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) at a South Carolina event Friday appeared to criticize the UAW’s demand for a 32-hour work week.

“We’re watching today, on every screen around the country, we’re seeing the UAW fight for more benefits and less hours working. More pay and fewer days on the job. It’s a disconnect from work,” Scott said.

At an Iowa event on Monday, Scott was asked by a voter if he would insert himself into labor disputes as president. The Republican said he supported firing striking workers.

“Let me answer the first question. I think Ronald Reagan gave us a great example when federal employees decided they were going to strike,” Scott said. “He said, you strike, you’re fired. Simple concept to me. To the extent that we can use that once again, absolutely.”

This article is republished from Michigan Advance, part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact editor-in-chief Susan J. Demas at [email protected].