Hamburg, N.Y. (WBEN) - Members of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 897 and union supporters stood outside the their headquarters on Lake Shore Road on Friday to hold a "practice picket," a tactic used to not only prime themselves for a potential strike, but to bring awareness to the public that the contract negotiations are not happening in a timely manner.
Jimmy Lakeman, an international representative Region 9 of the UAW, gave an update to the press on where they stand in contract negotiations with the three automakers: Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, a company that produces Chrysler vehicles.
"We're about six days out from our contract deadline, which is 11:59 p.m. ET on the 14th of September. Negotiations are moving along slow. As you can tell by some of the articles in the paper, there's some unfair labor practices filed against some of the companies. The UAW has made a counteroffer to Ford's first offer. They're in the process of negotiating right now. We received a counteroffer from General Motors [Wednesday], being reviewed by the committee as we speak, so we're a little anxious. I'm sure the community is all anxious. General Motors is a little anxious. It's been contentious so far. We're still going through the process and working, trying to move forward, not only for the UAW, but for the companies."
"Absolutely. We've had meetings with the leadership. We went through it four years ago, 57,000 people with General Motors. This [strike] could be bigger, this could be smaller. We're not sure. The International Union, the President's office, will make that decision. And, of course, [take into account] the progress of where we are at the time of the deadline with each company."
Lakeman notes that there is a "willingness" to strike for better pay and benefits as the "Big 3" auto companies are making plenty of money.
"The companies are making billions of dollars, and it's shown every day through their shareholders, in the splitting of stock and everything else. So I think this is the time that we need to get some of our stuff back."
Lakeman adds that the union does have a strike fund and that money will compensate workers during their picket duties.
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