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UAW president calls GM's offer insulting one week before labor deal expires
Next Thursday, the UAW labor agreement expires and hundreds of thousands of union members could walk off the job. This week, General Motors offered a proposal to the UAW but president Shawn Fain said the proposal wasn't nearly enough and the automaker needs to stop wasting time.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The president of the United Auto Workers union slammed General Motors' offer Thursday, calling it an "insulting proposal."
Under the automaker's offer, all employees will get a $5,500 ratification bonus. Juneteenth will also become a paid holiday for all employees.
Most employees will also get a 10% wage increase. GM says this is the largest wage increase since its 1999 contract.
The union is looking for a 46% pay raise, a 32-hour work week with 40 hours of pay, and restoration of traditional pensions for new hires. Union President Shawn Fain has said that the UAW plans to strike against any of the Big Three automakers that it does not have an agreement with by Sept. 14.
Fain responded to GM's offer with a statement:
"After refusing to bargain in good faith for the past six weeks, only after having federal labor board charges filed against them, GM has come to the table with an insulting proposal that doesn’t come close to an equitable agreement for America’s autoworkers.
"GM either doesn’t care or isn’t listening when we say we need economic justice at GM by 11:59 p.m on September 14th. The clock is ticking. Stop wasting our members’ time. Tick tock."
The UAW filed unfair labor practice charges against General Motors and Stellantis last week.
Here's what else employees would get under the proposal:
Temporary and in-progression employees
- Current entry-level in-progression employees earn a 56% wage rate increase over the contract
- Current temporary employees will receive a 20% increase to $20 per hour
- Eliminate two steps to get to the top wage rate, which provides double-digit wage increases for all in-progression employees from the beginning of the contract, according to GM
For most employees (at max wage rate):
- 10% increase in wages
- Two additional 3% lump sum payments resulting in a total increase of 16%
- $6,000 one-time inflation-recognition payment
- $5,000 in inflation-protection bonuses over the life of the agreement (in-progression employees are eligible)
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