Labor talks between the United Auto Workers and Detroit’s three automakers will begin this week without the traditional public handshake ceremonies between the two parties.
It’s another sign of the new UAW leaders’ determination to operate differently from their predecessors. UAW President Shawn Fain has called employers like General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis NV the union’s “enemies.” Gestures at previous handshake events — particularly a hug between convicted former UAW President Dennis Williams and Sergio Marchionne, the late former CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV before it merged to create Stellantis — have become symbols of the years-long corruption scandal that entailed FCA executives bribing officials of the Detroit-based union.
Negotiations with Stellantis will begin on Thursday, with Ford on Friday and with GM on July 18. The UAW hasn’t announced a lead company; one often is selected around Labor Day. The current contracts are set to expire on Sept. 14.
Instead of the traditional handshakes, Fain, Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock and the three vice presidents — Chuck Browning, Mike Booth and Rich Boyer — will meet with members on Wednesday at Stellantis’ Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, GM’s Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Complex and Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne. Prior to that at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Fain will host a Facebook Live on the UAW’s page.
“The members come first,” Fain said in a statement. “I’ll shake hands with the CEOs when they come to the table with a deal that reflects the needs of the workers who make this industry run. When the 150,000 autoworkers at Ford, GM, and Stellantis receive the respect they are due for their sacrifice in generating the historic profits of the past decade, then we can proceed with a handshake.”
bnoble@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @BreanaCNoble