July 12 (UPI) — Contract negotiations between the “Big Three” automakers in Detroit and United Auto Workers were set to begin Thursday with union president Shawn Fain vowing to shake the corporate money tree in pursuit of employee demands.
UAW is seeking a new contract that would adjust pay for the cost-of-living, boost retirement benefits, guarantee job security and eliminate wage tiers among employees in specialized jobs.
The talks will stretch over three days, with Fain sitting down first with Stellantis on Thursday, followed by Ford on Friday, and General Motors next Tuesday.
The union’s current contract is set to expire Sept. 14, with the automakers facing billions of dollars in losses if a prolonged strike were to occur.
On Wednesday, a day before the meeting, Fain and other UAW leaders hosted a “members handshake” in front of the Big Three manufacturing plants, including Sterling Heights Assembly, GM’s Factory Zero and Ford’s Michigan Assembly.
“We’re out here at Sterling Heights Assembly Plant kicking off Big Three negotiations with a new UAW tradition: ‘the members handshake.’ Let’s go!” UAW tweeted Wednesday, along with photos from the event.
Fain expressed some hope that the talks could result in a new deal for UAW as other unions had won new contracts in some of the nation’s most critical industries in recent months.
“This is our defining moment, as a union as working people,” Fain said Tuesday during a Facebook Live event with union members. “And we’re taking a different approach every step of the way.”
During the online talk, Fain said the union was prepared to walk out on all three automakers if talks broke down without a deal.
“If the Big Three don’t give us our fair share, then they’re choosing to strike themselves, and we’re not afraid to take action,” Fain said. “Whether or not there is a strike, it’s up to Ford, General Motors and Stellantis because they know what our priorities are.”
Fain also noted that the automakers have the wherewithal to meet the union’s demands after making “quarter of a trillion dollars in North American profits” over the last decade.
Some insiders expressed concern that the negotiations were likely to be derailed by deep concessions that neither side was willing to make.
For months, union leaders have been adjusting their bargaining strategy, while calling on members to unite for the cause.
Meanwhile, the Canadian union Unifor, which represents 18,000 Detroit auto industry workers, was also negotiating a new contract set to expire in September.
The talks come as the auto industry faces increased pressure to transition to electric vehicles in the government’s push to curtail harmful carbon emissions, which many union leaders expect to potentially hurt jobs and wages.
