According to UAW President Shawn Fain, CEO pay at General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis has gone up by 40% in the last four years, while autoworkers have received 6% raises<\/a>. Depending on seniority, full-time workers at these companies earn between $18 and $32 per hour<\/a>, rates that haven\u2019t kept pace with the sharp rise in inflation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In early August<\/a>, Fain gave the Big Three \u2013 General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford Motor Co. \u2013 a list of the union\u2019s demands. In a rare move, he also released it to the public. In addition to a 40% raise, the UAW wants automakers to reinstate regular cost-of-living pay increases, a benefit that manufacturers suspended in 2009 during the Great Recession. Other notable demands include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What makes this strike so unique is its unorthodox approach. Unlike with previous major auto strikes, UAW employees haven\u2019t all walked out at the same time. In the post-World War II strike of 1945 and 1946, 320,000 UAW members walked out for 113 days<\/a>. Just 25 years later, 400,000 members walked off assembly lines for 67 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rather than shutting everything down with hundreds of thousands of workers striking at the same time, the UAW changed its plans this time around. It targeted certain plants for limited strikes, directing some workers to stay on the job and keeping the Big Three in the dark about the union\u2019s next moves. That way, the automakers wouldn\u2019t be certain which workers were about to walk off, creating immense and immediate pressure. The UAW also opted to negotiate with the Big Three at once instead of holding separate talks with each company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the strike continues, it expands strategically, adding certain kinds of workers to exert new pressure. A targeted approach also allows the UAW to preserve its $825 million strike fund<\/a> for as long as possible rather than quickly burning through it. By staggering which workers walk out, the union will be able to provide for striking members while continuing to exert pressure on automakers sustainably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of publication, the UAW strike has been going on for slightly over a month. Below, we\u2019ll run through a few highlights from the employee walkout so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Aug. 25, 97% of the 150,000 UAW members employed at the Big Three voted to authorize a strike<\/a>. There were strong \u201cyes\u201d votes across all three automakers: 96% among the 46,000 UAW members at General Motors, 95% from over 44,000 Stellantis employees, and more than 98% among the 59,000 UAW-represented workers at Ford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier in the summer, four local UAW chapters entered into negotiations with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to secure higher pay for union members who provide customer support. Their main goal was to put an end to the tiered pay structure, as well as to stop Blue Cross Blue Shield\u2019s outsourcing of union job classifications. The health insurance company rejected the union\u2019s demands. On Sept. 13, over 1,000 UAW members who work for Blue Cross Blue Shield went on strike<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The UAW strike began on Sept. 15, which was 21 days after the authorization vote. The union gave the Big Three until 11:59 on Sept. 14 to approve a new contract for workers that incorporated the UAW\u2019s demands, but the automakers didn\u2019t offer any deals. Instead of all 150,000 members walking out at the same time, the strike targeted three plants in the Midwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n General Motors workers walked out of an assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri. Stellantis workers at an assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio, also went on strike. Workers walked off a Ford plant in the Detroit suburb of Wayne, the only Michigan factory initially affected by the strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The strike was given a huge boost by President Joe Biden\u2019s visit to General Motors\u2019 Willow Run Redistribution Center<\/a> in Belleville, Michigan, on Sept. 26. This was an unprecedented move, as Biden is the first modern president to visit a picket line and show solidarity with striking workers. According to reports, Biden grabbed a bullhorn and encouraged workers to \u201cstick with it.\u201d He continued by saying that because the auto industry was doing \u201cincredibly well,\u201d those who work for automakers \u201cshould be doing incredibly well, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next day, former President Donald Trump traveled to Michigan to make a similar gesture in solidarity with those on strike. He visited Drake Enterprises<\/a>, a nonunion auto parts supplier in Clinton Township, just northeast of Detroit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Sept. 29, the UAW expanded its strike to two additional factories in the Midwest. At noon that day, workers at the Ford assembly plant in Chicago and the General Motors Lansing-Delta assembly plant in Delta Township, Michigan, walked off the job. Combined, the two plants employ around 7,000 people, bringing the total number of striking workers to 25,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The UAW didn’t expand its strike against Stellantis. Fain explained that the automaker had put forth a compelling offer, prompting the union to hold off on new moves against the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Oct. 5, Fortune Magazine reported that the UAW and carmakers were getting close to a contract agreement<\/a>, with all three manufacturers presenting offers to the union. Spokespeople for the UAW and both GM and Stellantis did not comment on the specifics of their offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ford, however, did release some details, saying that the company had increased its offer to a 20% pay raise over four years and increased 401(k) contributions. It also gave profit-sharing to temporary employees and raised their hourly wages from $16.67 to $21. Those talks did not result in a deal, and the strike has continued into its fifth week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the strike began, the Big Three have laid off nearly 6,000 workers<\/a>, citing almost $2.7 billion in losses. None of the automakers has said whether they plan on rehiring furloughed workers when the strike ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The UAW notched a small victory on Oct. 6 when it announced that General Motors had agreed to include electric vehicle battery production work<\/a> in its master agreement with the union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n UAW members at Mack Trucks voted down a tentative agreement from parent company Volvo Group on Oct. 8. After 73% of UAW members at Mack Trucks voted \u201cno\u201d<\/a> on the deal, almost 4,000 UAW members in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Maryland walked from their jobs. The deal offered by Volvo Group included a 10% wage increase as well as a 19% hike in general wages over the next five years. It also guaranteed that health insurance premiums would be frozen for the duration of the contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The UAW members at Mack Trucks had Fain\u2019s support, who signed a letter saying that, \u201cThe members have spoken and as the highest authority in our union, they have the final word.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Oct. 11, 8,700 UAW workers walked out of a Ford assembly plant<\/a> in Louisville, Kentucky. The surprise move shut down what is both Ford\u2019s largest factory and one of its most profitable. It\u2019s where the automaker builds Ford Super Duty pickup trucks, Ford Expedition SUVs, and Lincoln Navigator SUVs \u2013 some of the company\u2019s most lucrative products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A statement from Fain<\/a> reads, \u201cWe have been crystal clear, and we have waited long enough, but Ford has not gotten the message. It\u2019s time for a fair contract at Ford and the rest of the Big Three. If they can\u2019t understand that after four weeks, the 8,700 workers shutting down this extremely profitable plant will help them understand it.\u201d Fain also hinted at further strike expansion that could target Stellantis if talks with the carmaker collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ford called the move \u201cgrossly irresponsible,\u201d saying that the action could have a ripple effect that threatens other plants and parts suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ford issued an appeal to the UAW<\/a> on Oct. 16, asking the union to come to the table and end the strike as soon as possible. The Anderson Economic Group, a conservative economic consulting firm based in East Lansing, Michigan, estimated that through Oct. 12, the UAW strike had cost the auto industry $7.7 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As talks with Stellantis faltered, the UAW once again expanded its strike, this time targeting a plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Nearly 7,000 workers walked out<\/a> of the plant, which manufactures Ram 1500 trucks \u2013 Stellantis\u2019 bestselling vehicle, on Oct. 28. This brought the total number of striking workers to over 40,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Oct. 30, two days after expanding the strike by another 6,800 workers, the UAW announced it had reached a tentative agreement with GM, ending the union\u2019s six-week strike. Once ratified, most workers will see an immediate pay increase, with some wages jumping by almost 90%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though it still needs to be ratified by the union, the tentative agreement with GM includes<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The UAW reached a tentative agreement with Stellantis<\/a> on the 44th day of the strike. The tentative deal includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stellantis employees have agreed to return to work during the ratification process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The members of Union Local 900, headquartered in Wayne, Michigan, voted overwhelmingly in favor of the UAW\u2019s deal with Ford. The local union, which represents workers at Ford\u2019s Michigan Assembly Plant, was the first to walk off the job on Sept. 15. Eighty-two percent of the local\u2019s members voted to accept the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\nUAW\u2019s Demands of the Big Three<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Strike Tactics Used by the UAW<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A Brief Timeline of the UAW Strike<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
UAW Votes To Authorize Strike<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
UAW Blue Cross Blue Shield Workers Walk Out<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
UAW Strike Officially Begins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
President Biden Visits the Picket Line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The UAW Strike Expands<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Where Does the UAW Strike Stand Now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.automoblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/inside-the-uaw-strike-map-automoblog.net_-1024x819.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGM To Include Battery Production in Master Contract<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mack Trucks Joins Strike<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The UAW Strike Expands Again<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
An Appeal To Make a Deal <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Another Strike Expansion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Update: The Strike Ends<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The GM Agreement<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
The Stellantis Agreement<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
The Ford Agreement<\/h4>\n\n\n\n