Investing.com — The United Auto Workers will expand strikes at plants owned by Ford Motor Company (NYSE:) and General Motors Company (NYSE:) on Friday as the union says not enough progress has been made in labor contract negotiations.
The additional strikes will be at assembly plants where Ford and GM make SUVs and crossover vehicles. Stellantis NV (NYSE:), the target of last week’s strike expansion by the UAW along with GM, was spared in this round.
UAW President Shawn Fain said in a live video broadcast this morning that “Stellantis made significant progress on the 2009 cost of living allowance, the right not to cross a picket line, as well as the right to strike over product commitments and plant closures and outsourcing moratoriums.”
General Motors said it still hasn’t “received a comprehensive counteroffer from UAW leadership to our latest proposal made on September 21. Calling more strikes is just for the headlines, not real progress.”
Ford Motor, which was spared in last week’s strike expansion, said it made an offer on Sept. 12 that included wage increases of more than 20%, cost of living allowances, health care coverage, the elimination of wage tiers, and higher retirement contributions. The company said it has continued to negotiate and improve its offer since Sept. 12. CEO Jim Farley said: “If the UAW’s goal is a record contract, they have already achieved this. It is grossly irresponsible to escalate these strikes and hurt thousands of families.”
Stellantis said it “has been intensely working with the UAW to find solutions to the issues that are of most concern to our employees while ensuring the Company can remain competitive given the market’s fierce competition. We have made progress in our discussions, but gaps remain. We are committed to continue working through these issues in an expeditious manner to reach a fair and responsible agreement that gets everyone back to work as soon as possible.”
The UAW, which first launched the strikes on Sept. 15, is at odds with the car groups over wage gains and benefits packages. About 18,300 UAW members are currently on strike, or roughly 12% of the total union members on staff at the so-called Detroit Three vehicle makers.
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