UAW Demands 46% Pay Hike

[grbeck]

On 8/5/2023 at 9:24 PM, akirby said:

Because you can’t force a union in a right to work state.

 

I thought this would be covered by any contract, which will state that line workers in all Ford facilities will be represented by the UAW..? The location of a Ford facility in a right-to-work state would have no effect on this. 

[Footballfan]

1 hour ago, grbeck said:

 

I thought this would be covered by any contract, which will state that line workers in all Ford facilities will be represented by the UAW..? The location of a Ford facility in a right-to-work state would have no effect on this. 

Even those who do not join unions in RTW states are still covered under the provisions of the contract and enjoy all the negotiated wages and benefits including representation in the event of a grievance (provided they pay an agency fee). 

[Footballfan]

On 8/5/2023 at 7:20 PM, jpd80 said:

While the UAW is going after big pay increases and fewer working hours………..

Ford building a big ass BEV truck plant in a right to work state will send shock waves through the UAW.

Or haven’t they noticed that……

I don't think Ford will want a war with the union.  They already pussed off a lot of folks in the union.  That being said, I see BOC being Ford's Saturn.  I think the stated goals for the plant are greatly overstated. 

[akirby]

1 hour ago, grbeck said:

 

I thought this would be covered by any contract, which will state that line workers in all Ford facilities will be represented by the UAW..? The location of a Ford facility in a right-to-work state would have no effect on this. 

I could be wrong but I thought in a RTW state the workers in that state had to vote in the union, in which case it’s out of Ford’s hands and has to wait for the workers to be hired.

[akirby]

Even if that’s not required I’m sure they’re holding that as a bargaining chip for the new contract.  I’m sure they’ll agree to UAW in return for specific concessions.

[Footballfan]

23 minutes ago, akirby said:

I could be wrong but I thought in a RTW state the workers in that state had to vote in the union, in which case it’s out of Ford’s hands and has to wait for the workers to be hired.

A union can be recognized by the company, but employees are not required to join.a

[Oac98]

On 8/5/2023 at 7:20 PM, jpd80 said:

While the UAW is going after big pay increases and fewer working hours………..

Ford building a big ass BEV truck plant in a right to work state will send shock waves through the UAW.

Or haven’t they noticed that……

The UAW is well aware and will try to organize this plant forsure, make no mistake about it!

[Captainp4]

49 an hour to work an assembly line is insane to me. I'm going to sell my business and get a union job ?

[akirby]

2 hours ago, Oacjay98 said:

The UAW is well aware and will try to organize this plant forsure, make no mistake about it!

I don’t think Ford will oppose it but they also need to be competitive with Tesla and other BEV mfrs.

[Oac98]

Yup it’s all about competitiveness in this cutthroat industry. 

[silvrsvt]

15 hours ago, Captainp4 said:

49 an hour to work an assembly line is insane to me. I'm going to sell my business and get a union job ?

 

Well considering that low skill jobs like working at Fast food joints are playing like $20-25 an hour...but I have my doubts that your actually working fulltime hours either. 

[T-dubz]

9 hours ago, silvrsvt said:

 

Well considering that low skill jobs like working at Fast food joints are playing like $20-25 an hour...but I have my doubts that you’re actually working fulltime hours either. 

I’d imagine most fast food jobs aren’t paying anywhere near that unless they are in California or New York. The bureau of labor statistics says the average is $13.53/hr and only the 90th percentile make $17/hr. 
 

Within the motor vehicle manufacturing category, there are several jobs listed. Here are a few and their mean hourly salaries.

 

assemblers and fabricators - $26.92/hr

electrical assemblers - $26.06/hr

Engine and other machine assemblers - $28.67

Cut/press/punch machine operator - $27.16

Machinists - $29.58

 

Here are a few other mean salaries in the $49/hr range from BLS for reference:

computer programmer - $49.42/hr

registered nurse - $42.80/hr

Database admin - $49.29/hr

Psychologists - $49.40/hr

Mechanical engineers - $48.47/hr

[akirby]

48 minutes ago, T-dubz said:

I’d imagine most fast food jobs aren’t paying anywhere near that unless they are in California or New York. The bureau of labor statistics says the average is $13.53/hr and only the 90th percentile make $17/hr. 
 

Within the motor vehicle manufacturing category, there are several jobs listed. Here are a few and their mean hourly salaries.

 

assemblers and fabricators - $26.92/hr

electrical assemblers - $26.06/hr

Engine and other machine assemblers - $28.67

Cut/press/punch machine operator - $27.16

Machinists - $29.58

 

Here are a few other mean salaries in the $49/hr range from BLS for reference:

computer programmer - $49.42/hr

registered nurse - $42.80/hr

Database admin - $49.29/hr

Psychologists - $49.40/hr

Mechanical engineers - $48.47/hr

Some people just have no perspective.

[silvrsvt]

11 hours ago, T-dubz said:

I’d imagine most fast food jobs aren’t paying anywhere near that unless they are in California or New York. The bureau of labor statistics says the average is $13.53/hr and only the 90th percentile make $17/hr. 

 

In my part of the world, I've seen Harbor Freight Tools advertise jobs for cashiers for $20 bucks an hour. Haven't been around for fast food lately, so I'm not sure what they are paying in my area. 

[ice-capades]

Shawn Fain Accuses Jeep-Maker Stellantis of Trying to Gut Benefits During UAW Negotiations

https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2023/08/08/uaw-member-benefits-jeep-maker-stellantis-negotiations/70552640007/

 

 

UAW President Shawn Fain took the contract proposals from Stellantis — owner of Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat brands — and literally threw them into the wastebasket on Tuesday.

 

"Seeing this trash coming from Stellantis' leadership, I thought it was imperative to make you understand where we're headed," Fain said during a member update streamed live on Facebook. "If the Big Three companies don't start getting serious ... then, you know, come Sept. 14 we're going to have to see what happens. I don't think they're going to be happy with it."

 

Contract negotiations with the Detroit Three have only just begun. A spokesperson for Stellantis couldn't be immediately reached for comment. The Detroit Free Press left phone, text and email messages.

 

Fain, a populist leader elected by members in January, hosted a "special bargaining update" to voice anger about Stellantis and warn the other Detroit Three automakers in the midst of negotiating a four-year labor contract.

 

Fain said Stellantis seems disinterested in addressing wage disparities among factory workers.

 

"Stellantis isn't listening," he said. "Stellantis knows our members deserve more."

 

Rather than take seriously UAW member demand to eliminate tiers, Stellantis proposed the creation of new ones, Fain said. "Instead of getting to work on negotiating the significant wage gains of our members that they've earned and deserve, Stellantis is threatening our profit-sharing formula."

 

The Auburn Hills automaker is also proposing cuts to existing medical coverage, eliminating holiday conversion options, offering fewer vacation days for certain workers, expanding the company's right to force members to work overtime, cutting the 401(k) contribution, gutting transfer rights based on seniority, eliminating the moratorium on outsourcing and lifting the cap on the use of temporary employees, Fain said.

 

"Stellantis even had the nerve to demand a unilateral right to demand further concessions during the life of the contract and push for the union to allow the company to make those changes without a vote of our membership," he said. "The contract currently proposed by Stellantis would deepen the divisions in our workplace, not eliminate them. These proposals would make life harder and a lot more stressful."

 

While Stellantis is telling the media that they're not urging concessions, everything about their actions illustrate they're not telling the truth, Fain said. "Stellantis has passed over a list of initial proposals that are riddled with givebacks. It's amazing to me. ... It's a pathetic irony that Carlos Tavares can't bother to show up to bargaining and that Mark Stewart, COO (chief operating officer, Stellantis North America) was late ... as they move forward they want to talk about absenteeism with our workers."

Edited August 9, 2023 by ice-capades
Additional Content

[akirby]

Both sides sound completely unreasonable.  Maybe this is just negotiation hot air.  

[ice-capades]

2 hours ago, akirby said:

Both sides sound completely unreasonable.  Maybe this is just negotiation hot air.  

 

Shawn Fain has laid out a very aggressive position for the UAW based partially, at least, on the new UAW voting structure. The demand for a 46% pay hike is both unreasonable and unlikely. The industry is entering new challenges with the transition to BEV vehicle production and the lower labor requirements. The UAW is looking to protect the union represented jobs in existing facilities and secure commitments for UAW representation in the new BEV vehicle production facilities that will require less labor.

 

The manufacturers are increasing production rates as supply chain issues improve. At the same time, the Big 3 are also producing vehicles and increasing inventory in anticipation of a potential strike by the UAW. A good example is the existing F-Series inventory which is very high. The recent sales rate and inventory numbers have to be interpreted with consideration of the newly started UAW negotiations and the Big 3's preparation for a UAW strike. It's very possible that there could be a long UAW strike against the final target.

 

With BEV vehicle production requiring a substantially reduced labor requirement, the UAW will do everything it can to secure UAW representation in new facilities. At the same time, the UAW will do everything it can to increase pay scales, eliminating tiers, etc. for existing positions that will set a standard for future contract negotiations. 

 

  

[akirby]

I can understand why they don’t want tiered wages - prevents Ford from replacing older workers with younger cheaper ones.  But at the same time it would help Ford retain more workers at the same cost.  Most other jobs your pay is commensurate with experience. 
 

Even though BEVs require less assembly labor that plant is also making battery packs and other things in house so the net might be even more jobs overall.

[jpd80]

Let’s hope that Ford and the UAW  can hammer out a deal that equitable for both parties, it’s in everyone’s interest to do so.

[Oac98]

6 hours ago, ice-capades said:

 

Shawn Fain has laid out a very aggressive position for the UAW based partially, at least, on the new UAW voting structure. The demand for a 46% pay hike is both unreasonable and unlikely. The industry is entering new challenges with the transition to BEV vehicle production and the lower labor requirements. The UAW is looking to protect the union represented jobs in existing facilities and secure commitments for UAW representation in the new BEV vehicle production facilities that will require less labor.

 

The manufacturers are increasing production rates as supply chain issues improve. At the same time, the Big 3 are also producing vehicles and increasing inventory in anticipation of a potential strike by the UAW. A good example is the existing F-Series inventory which is very high. The recent sales rate and inventory numbers have to be interpreted with consideration of the newly started UAW negotiations and the Big 3's preparation for a UAW strike. It's very possible that there could be a long UAW strike against the final target.

 

With BEV vehicle production requiring a substantially reduced labor requirement, the UAW will do everything it can to secure UAW representation in new facilities. At the same time, the UAW will do everything it can to increase pay scales, eliminating tiers, etc. for existing positions that will set a standard for future contract negotiations. 

 

  

I FIRMLY believe that Stellantis will be the target of both UAW and UNIFOR. I don’t believe it will be Ford at all. 

[fuzzymoomoo]

11 minutes ago, Oacjay98 said:

I FIRMLY believe that Stellantis will be the target of both UAW and UNIFOR. I don’t believe it will be Ford at all. 

Fain says there will be no target, all 3 are. We shall see. The fact he hasn’t mentioned Ford at all has me thinking negotiations are going ok so far with Ford. 

[Captainp4]

On 8/8/2023 at 8:58 PM, T-dubz said:

I’d imagine most fast food jobs aren’t paying anywhere near that unless they are in California or New York. The bureau of labor statistics says the average is $13.53/hr and only the 90th percentile make $17/hr. 
 

Within the motor vehicle manufacturing category, there are several jobs listed. Here are a few and their mean hourly salaries.

 

assemblers and fabricators - $26.92/hr

electrical assemblers - $26.06/hr

Engine and other machine assemblers - $28.67

Cut/press/punch machine operator - $27.16

Machinists - $29.58

 

Here are a few other mean salaries in the $49/hr range from BLS for reference:

computer programmer - $49.42/hr

registered nurse - $42.80/hr

Database admin - $49.29/hr

Psychologists - $49.40/hr

Mechanical engineers - $48.47/hr

Should've finished that mechanical engineering degree, then I could make almost as much as the union wants for an assembly line guy

I own a lawn cutting business btw, so not talking crap about blue collar workers, but come awn.. assembly line work isn't worth almost 50 an hour.

I've seen gas stations/fast food advertising 15-17ish around here (MD, so usually higher pay than national average), along with a sign on bonus of 500 or so.

[Oac98]

11 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

Fain says there will be no target, all 3 are. We shall see. The fact he hasn’t mentioned Ford at all has me thinking negotiations are going ok so far with Ford. 

I had to edit my previous response. I watched the video where he mentioned all three going on strike at once. I see that as very possible but if that scenario doesn’t take place then I believe the target will be Stellantis. I base this on the Belvedere plant situation and the issues they have up here in Canada. I think UAW AND UNIFOR will target them. 

Edited August 10, 2023 by Oacjay98

[grbeck]

5 hours ago, Oacjay98 said:

I had to edit my previous response. I watched the video where he mentioned all three going on strike at once. I see that as very possible but if that scenario doesn’t take place then I believe the target will be Stellantis. I base this on the Belvedere plant situation and the issues they have up here in Canada. I think UAW AND UNIFOR will target them. 

 

Striking GM, Ford and Stellantis simultaneously sounds like a good way to hand over more market share to Honda, Hyundia, Kia and Toyota. I can't believe he seriously believes that is a good idea. 

[Oac98]

1 hour ago, grbeck said:

 

Striking GM, Ford and Stellantis simultaneously sounds like a good way to hand over more market share to Honda, Hyundia, Kia and Toyota. I can't believe he seriously believes that is a good idea. 

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that but these corporations need to give us workers our fair share!