SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
United Auto Workers members march in the Detroit Labor Day Parade on September 4, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan.
(Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
UAW Rejects 'Insulting' Counteroffer Put Forth By General Motors
"GM either doesn't care or isn't listening when we say we need economic justice at GM by 11:59 pm on September 14th," said UAW president Shawn Fain. "The clock is ticking."
Sep 07, 2023
The leader of the United Auto Workers on Thursday rejected General Motors' contract counteroffer as "insulting" and reminded the company that it is running out of time to avert a strike.
"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," UAW president Shawn Fain said in response to the counterproposal, which the company made public after meeting with union negotiators.
"GM either doesn't care or isn't listening when we say we need economic justice at GM by 11:59 pm on September 14th," Fain added. "The clock is ticking. Stop wasting our members' time. Tick tock."
GM's offer includes a 10% increase in wages for most employees—well short of UAW's call for a 46% wage boost.
If the UAW's proposed raise was implemented across the entire U.S. auto manufacturing sector, Bloomberg's Justin Fox noted Thursday, "it would bring real hourly wages back to... about 5% less than they were in mid-2003."
"The average hourly wage for autoworkers on the production line has dropped 30% since 2003," Fox observed.
General Motors also offered to recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday, pay out a $5,500 contract ratification bonus, and reduce the amount of time it takes for employees to reach the maximum wage rate. UAW has demanded the complete elimination of tiered compensation systems that leave newer workers with worse pay and benefits, arguing that such arrangements are aimed at dividing the rank-and-file.
Late last month, 97% of participating UAW members voted to authorize a strike if the "Big Three" automakers—General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis—don't agree to a fair contract by September 14, when the union's current contracts with the companies are set to expire.
The union has since filed unfair labor practice charges against GM and Stellantis, accusing the companies of illegally refusing to bargain in good faith.
Ford made its counteroffer to the UAW last week, proposing a 9% wage increase. Fain said the company's offer "insults our very worth."
Stellantis, which is headquartered in the Netherlands, is expected to put forth its counteroffer to the UAW before the end of the week.
As Luis Feliz Leon wrote in The American Prospect on Thursday, Stellantis is using its U.S. plants as "bargaining chips" in high-stakes negotiations with the union.
"Last year, Stellantis indefinitely shuttered its assembly plant in Belvidere, laying off more than 1,300 workers," Leon noted. "It moved production to a plant in Toluca, in central Mexico, upending the lives of generations of families dating back to the company’s 1965 roots in Illinois."
One worker told Leon that Stellantis is "dangling that they can reopen the Belvidere plant if we give up this or that."
"And nobody wants to give up anything—we've given up enough!" the worker added.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The leader of the United Auto Workers on Thursday rejected General Motors' contract counteroffer as "insulting" and reminded the company that it is running out of time to avert a strike.
"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," UAW president Shawn Fain said in response to the counterproposal, which the company made public after meeting with union negotiators.
"GM either doesn't care or isn't listening when we say we need economic justice at GM by 11:59 pm on September 14th," Fain added. "The clock is ticking. Stop wasting our members' time. Tick tock."
GM's offer includes a 10% increase in wages for most employees—well short of UAW's call for a 46% wage boost.
If the UAW's proposed raise was implemented across the entire U.S. auto manufacturing sector, Bloomberg's Justin Fox noted Thursday, "it would bring real hourly wages back to... about 5% less than they were in mid-2003."
"The average hourly wage for autoworkers on the production line has dropped 30% since 2003," Fox observed.
General Motors also offered to recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday, pay out a $5,500 contract ratification bonus, and reduce the amount of time it takes for employees to reach the maximum wage rate. UAW has demanded the complete elimination of tiered compensation systems that leave newer workers with worse pay and benefits, arguing that such arrangements are aimed at dividing the rank-and-file.
Late last month, 97% of participating UAW members voted to authorize a strike if the "Big Three" automakers—General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis—don't agree to a fair contract by September 14, when the union's current contracts with the companies are set to expire.
The union has since filed unfair labor practice charges against GM and Stellantis, accusing the companies of illegally refusing to bargain in good faith.
Ford made its counteroffer to the UAW last week, proposing a 9% wage increase. Fain said the company's offer "insults our very worth."
Stellantis, which is headquartered in the Netherlands, is expected to put forth its counteroffer to the UAW before the end of the week.
As Luis Feliz Leon wrote in The American Prospect on Thursday, Stellantis is using its U.S. plants as "bargaining chips" in high-stakes negotiations with the union.
"Last year, Stellantis indefinitely shuttered its assembly plant in Belvidere, laying off more than 1,300 workers," Leon noted. "It moved production to a plant in Toluca, in central Mexico, upending the lives of generations of families dating back to the company’s 1965 roots in Illinois."
One worker told Leon that Stellantis is "dangling that they can reopen the Belvidere plant if we give up this or that."
"And nobody wants to give up anything—we've given up enough!" the worker added.
The leader of the United Auto Workers on Thursday rejected General Motors' contract counteroffer as "insulting" and reminded the company that it is running out of time to avert a strike.
"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," UAW president Shawn Fain said in response to the counterproposal, which the company made public after meeting with union negotiators.
"GM either doesn't care or isn't listening when we say we need economic justice at GM by 11:59 pm on September 14th," Fain added. "The clock is ticking. Stop wasting our members' time. Tick tock."
GM's offer includes a 10% increase in wages for most employees—well short of UAW's call for a 46% wage boost.
If the UAW's proposed raise was implemented across the entire U.S. auto manufacturing sector, Bloomberg's Justin Fox noted Thursday, "it would bring real hourly wages back to... about 5% less than they were in mid-2003."
"The average hourly wage for autoworkers on the production line has dropped 30% since 2003," Fox observed.
General Motors also offered to recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday, pay out a $5,500 contract ratification bonus, and reduce the amount of time it takes for employees to reach the maximum wage rate. UAW has demanded the complete elimination of tiered compensation systems that leave newer workers with worse pay and benefits, arguing that such arrangements are aimed at dividing the rank-and-file.
Late last month, 97% of participating UAW members voted to authorize a strike if the "Big Three" automakers—General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis—don't agree to a fair contract by September 14, when the union's current contracts with the companies are set to expire.
The union has since filed unfair labor practice charges against GM and Stellantis, accusing the companies of illegally refusing to bargain in good faith.
Ford made its counteroffer to the UAW last week, proposing a 9% wage increase. Fain said the company's offer "insults our very worth."
Stellantis, which is headquartered in the Netherlands, is expected to put forth its counteroffer to the UAW before the end of the week.
As Luis Feliz Leon wrote in The American Prospect on Thursday, Stellantis is using its U.S. plants as "bargaining chips" in high-stakes negotiations with the union.
"Last year, Stellantis indefinitely shuttered its assembly plant in Belvidere, laying off more than 1,300 workers," Leon noted. "It moved production to a plant in Toluca, in central Mexico, upending the lives of generations of families dating back to the company’s 1965 roots in Illinois."
One worker told Leon that Stellantis is "dangling that they can reopen the Belvidere plant if we give up this or that."
"And nobody wants to give up anything—we've given up enough!" the worker added.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.