(WWJ) – New details of the UAW’s tentative agreement with Ford have been released, including a “battery/EV plant agreement” and an immediate 11% wage increase once a new contract has been ratified.
UAW President Shawn Fain and Vice President Chuck Browning provided more details on the tentative agreement in a Facebook Live video Sunday evening, four days after first announcing the tentative deal.
Fain said Sunday once the planned Marshall Battery Plant in Southwest Michigan reaches the of lawful recognition, surplus Ford members will have rights to jobs at the plant, as well as other agreements to make sure EV jobs are "good jobs" and "make sure new EV jobs maintain our standards and protections."
Regional UAW Ford members will meet this week to discuss the details of the deal before hosting local meetings. After that process, members will then vote whether to ratify the deal.
Once the deal is ratified – which could still be more than a week away – the top production wage for UAW Ford workers would be $35.58, while starting wages would move to $24.91.
Under the new contract, workers would receive a 3% wage increase next October, as well as in October 2025 and October 2026. They would then see a 5% increase in the final year of the deal, in October 2027.
At the end of the contract, top pay would be $40.82, not accounting for any cost-of-living adjustments, which were returned to the UAW’s contract after conceding COLA in 2009.
Fain said Sunday the union has negotiated with Ford to have their contract end on April 30, 2028 allowing for a potential strike on May Day -- also known as International Workers Day.
Highlights and more in-depth details of the tentative agreement have been posted on the UAW website.
On Saturday the UAW announced it has reached a tentative agreement with Stellantis, the maker of Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge and Ram, with the union’s national Stellantis council set to meet on Thursday to review the agreement.
Also Saturday the union announced an expansion of the strike against General Motors, the last remaining automaker to reach a tentative agreement. Nearly 4,000 hourly workers at GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee – the company’s largest on the continent – joined about 14,000 workers already on strike at facilities in Michigan, Missouri and Texas.
UAW and GM officials were said to be meeting Sunday to continue working towards a new agreement.