UAW President Shawn Fain didn’t want to reveal member demands behind closed doors in the current contract talks with Detroit Three automakers, a protocol that had been followed for years.
Instead, Fain took to Facebook live Tuesday night to spotlight “audacious” demands of members in a new four-year contract being negotiated with a Sept. 14 deadline.
“Record profits mean record contracts,” Fain said during his broadcast. “While big execs have used those extreme profits to pump up their pay, our members have fallen further and further behind. … The rich are getting richer while the rest of us are getting left behind.”
Gone are the days that contracts are won by the president behind closed doors, he said.
Fain sees merit in a 32-hour workweek, he said. COVID-19 has taught people to live life, not work 60 to 80 hours a week. “We shouldn’t have to spend seven days a week, 12 hours a day living in factories.”
Ford Motor Co., GM and Jeep-maker Stellantis can “easily” afford big changes in the upcoming contract that help workers, Fain said. Over the past decade, the Detroit Three have made a quarter-trillion dollars in North American profits. In just the first half of 2023, the three automakers made a combined bottom line profit of $21 billion, the UAW noted.
The list of demands
Fain listed these “audacious” goals:
- elimination of wage tiers
- substantial wage increases
- restoration of cost of living allowance increases
- defined benefit pension for all workers
- reestablishment of retiree medical benefits
- the right to strike over plant closures
- limits on the use of temporary workers
- more paid time off
- increased benefits to current retirees
The list of demands was presented to Stellantis on Tuesday, Fain said. The list will be presented to General Motors on Wednesday and to Ford on Thursday. Again and again in his broadcast, Fain criticized “corporate greed” and big pay for executives while saying working people have never worked harder for less.
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Detroit Three executives who refer to UAW members as “family” have the opportunity to deliver on the contracts, he said.
‘Time to pay up’
“They’ve been competitive on our backs and it’s time they pay up. We’ve got to have equality across the Big Three,” These aren’t my demands. These are our demands.”
If automakers are going to close factories and abandon communities, then the companies can pay UAW members to do community service work and continue supporting cities and towns that have made companies billions of dollars, Fain said.
“I know these demands sound ambitious, but the Big Three can easily afford them.” Fain said. “We have to work longer and harder to maintain the same standard of living. … That means missing Little League games and family reunions.”
Beyond just surviving
Cost-of-living adjustments are essential to simply maintain the same standard of living, he emphasized. “There’s more to life than just work. It’s not enough to just survive.”
Prosperity cannot be built from the top down, Fain said, referencing union icon Walter Reuther. “Inequality in our country has risen for decades. Companies like General Motors are making record profits. GM CEO Mary Barra made $29 million. … A new worker at the Ultium battery plant (earning $16.50 an hour) would need to work 16 years to make one week of a CEO salary.”
Wages have failed to keep pace with cost of living adjustments while employers tout record-setting profits, and that’s going to change, Fain promised. He said hourly workers are earning less in 2023 than they were in 2007. If wages had remained steady, Fain said, UAW members would be earning $28.68 an hour now, an additional $10 more per hour or about $21,000 more a year, Fain said.
“We’ve got a huge fight ahead of us,” he said. “Companies want to brag about record profits. It’s time for record contracts. We’re going to deliver for our members, come hell or high water. All the bargaining committees are busting their asses for the membership.”
Stellantis response
Jodi Tinson, spokeswoman for Stellantis, provided a statement to the Detroit Free Press late Tuesday that Stellantis had a “very productive” meeting with Fain and the Stellantis Bargaining Committee, where Fain outlined demands.
The company said, “These demands are consistent with the priorities he has previously outlined, but we will continue to review them to understand how they align with our Company proposals and where we can find common ground. Stellantis and the UAW have a shared interest in these negotiations: securing the future of our 43,000 employees and their families. We have been clear from the start that we are not seeking a concessionary agreement. As we have done for more than 70 years, we will work constructively and collaboratively with the UAW to find solutions that will result in a contract that is competitive in the global market, responsibly addresses employee concerns and meets the needs of our customers.”
General Motors response
Meanwhile, David Barnas, GM spokesman, told the Free Press late Tuesday, “We will review the demands once we receive them from the UAW.”
Ford response
Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker told the Free Press, “Ford is proud to build more vehicles in America and employ more UAW-represented hourly workers in America than any other automaker. We look forward to working with the UAW on creative solutions during this time when our dramatically changing industry needs a skilled and competitive workforce more than ever.”
More than 1,000 people watched Fain’s presentation, posting heart emojis throughout and typing in questions in the chat section. Fain laced his remarks with spontaneous comments about individual plants and members as they posted messages. The speech lasted about 30 minutes.
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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid.