Staff Reports
Shawn Fain, the UAW's president, announced late Thursday that the union would be going on strike against the Detroit Three automakers at the same time. This is the first time in the union's history that it has taken this drastic step. The reason for the strike is that the negotiations with the three companies didn't go as planned. At 11:59 p.m., the deadline for reaching a deal had already passed, and there was no agreement in sight.
The UAW has a laundry list of demands. First and foremost, they want a 36% wage increase over four years. In addition, they want to restore cost-of-living pay raises that were abandoned in 2007, as well as an end to the tiered wage system for factory jobs.
There are various pension reforms that are on the horizon, such as increasing the retirement age for both new hires and those already retired.
The UAW was disappointed with how negotiations with the three Detroit automakers went before the deadline. The groups had offered varying degrees of increases, with Ford and GM offering 20% and 17.5% respectively. The union then decided to go on strike, which affected around 13,000 workers at various factories.
For the first time, the United Auto Workers union has gone on strike against all three Detroit car companies at the same time.https://t.co/67tPnYNSKe
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 15, 2023
In addition to the automakers, the strike also poses a challenge for Joe Biden, as he has been making a name for himself by supporting unions and his plan to establish a clean energy future. Due to his position on these issues, he is in a difficult situation. He must choose between being able to appease the union while at the same time not allowing the strike to negatively affect the economy.
Auto workers are worried that Joe Biden's push for the development of electric cars could lead to the loss of their jobs. They're worried that fewer positions will be available due to the shift to clean vehicles. This is a political minefield for the vice president, as he is caught in the middle of the conflict between the car companies and the UAW.
It seems like things are starting to heat up in the auto manufacturing industry. Let's see how this all plays out.
