The United Auto Workers union is now a week from its Sept. 14 strike deadline if a contract can’t be struck, making them the latest union this summer to be on the verge of, or already, striking.
While contract negotiations are ongoing, the UAW is seeking three major components in their next contract, including a 46% pay raise, 32-hour work weeks with 40 hours of pay, and the return of traditional pensions.
The UAW is continuing to push General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford to come to terms with their demands, but the automakers have continued to push back, saying the union is asking for too much.
To that point, it seems even the UAW’s president, Shawn Fain, agrees, as he recently shared that the demands were “audacious.”
Still, Fain says the automakers were “either not listening or they are not taking us seriously,” adding that their refusal to respond was “insulting and counterproductive.”
The automakers have argued that the demands from union members are unrealistic at a time when competition is high with Tesla and other lower-wage foreign automakers who are all looking to jump to electric vehicles.
Still, Fain argues that the only thing the automakers are doing is showing that they value one thing: profit.
“Our employers only value one thing, profit; they do not value us. And the only way the working class advances is if we stand together,” Fain said.
If the strike begins next Thursday, an estimated 146,000 UAW members could walk off the job, adding to the ever-growing list of workers leaving the office to join the picket lines.