Oct. 9 (UPI) — Thousands of United Auto Workers walked off the job in three states Monday after rejecting a new pay deal from Mack Trucks.
The UAW announced the strike in a statement posted to Twitter, saying the strike would begin at 7 a.m. EDT, with employees exiting facilities peacefully in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Florida.
The strike comes after UAW turned down the latest pay offer from the truck manufacturer, with 73% of the 4,000-member union body voting against a tentative agreement reached just one week ago.
At the time, the North Carolina-based truck maker, which is a branch of the Swedish Volvo Group, said the new pay deal “would deliver significantly increased wages and continue first-class benefits for Mack employees and their families.”
On Sunday, however, UAW President Shawn Fain sent a letter to Mack Truck’s Director of Employee and Labor Relations Holly Georgell, notifying her about the walkout.
In the letter, Fain said the company’s offer failed to address a host of demands on issues such as wage increases, cost of living allowances, job security, wage protection, shift premiums, holiday schedules, seniority, overtime and pensions, and health insurance.
“The members have spoken, and as the highest authority in our union, they have the final word,” Fain said. “I’m inspired to see UAW members at Mack holding out for a better deal, and ready to stand up and walk off the job to win it.”
The exact terms of the offer have not been not fully disclosed, but union workers considered the package for nearly a week before turning sour on the deal over the weekend.
The three-state walkout at Mack Trucks comes amid a wave of labor disruptions involving auto workers across the United States, including strikes against Ford and General Motors, who faced increased pressure to share record profits with employees.
During talks last week, Fain said progress was being made after GM made a sixth offer to the UAW to bring GM’s EV battery workers under new contracts, which could avert a potential strike at GM’s Arlington, Texas, plant — the company’s most profitable outlet.
Fain said the union would come back to the negotiating table at a later time so the company could “address our members’ concerns.”
