‘Not there yet:’ UAW president says auto workers strike continues
UAW President Sean Fine addressed union members, saying the strike was successful but there was still work to be done.
With no slowdown in sight, thousands of members The United Auto Workers union enters its fifth week of strikeg against the Detroit Three automakers.
Recently, 8,700 workers at Ford’s largest plant left their jobs, putting the company at risk of losing nearly $30 million a day in profits.
workers in The Ford Kentucky Truck Plant builds the Ford Super DutyThe Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. The Super Duty is among the most profitable products sold by Ford. Vehicles manufactured at the plant generate $25 billion in revenue annually, according to a statement from Ford.
Unionized hourly workers at the factory are demanding a fair contract and better wages. Join the 25,300 auto workers already on picket lines At select Ford, GM and Stellantis facilities across the country.
According to what was reported by the Associated Press. The Detroit Three has already laid off nearly 4,800 auto workers at plants that were not on strike. Striking workers receive $500 a week from the union’s strike wage fund.
UAW strike Where things stand with the strike reaching one month and some workers’ patience running out
How does an auto worker’s pay compare to other hourly workers?
According to the US Bureau of Labor StatisticsThe average wage for an auto worker is about $28 per hour. This wage increased by about a dollar over the previous year.
In states where the Detroit Three automakers have plants, workers are striking for better wages. Here’s how average hourly wages compare in other popular occupations:
- In the child care industry, food preparation and service industry, and production industry, production jobs pay the most per hour across all states.
- Average hourly wages for production workers are highest in California, Washington, and Illinois, each of which is among the 20 most expensive states in the United States. According to regional price parity data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
- The average hourly wage for child care workers is lowest in Kentucky, which is among the states where consumer goods are cheapest in the United States. According to BEA data. Child care workers there earn an average of $12.28 per hour.
How do autoworkers’ wages compare to CEOs’ wages?
Auto workers say their wages have remained stagnant even as Detroit auto companies’ profits and CEO compensation have increased.
Together, the three companies achieve near-record profits It reported $21 billion in profits in the first half of this year alone.
“Wait a minute,” the guild says. You paused COLA, so let’s bring it back since you’re making money now and see CEO salaries are getting higher and higherArt Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, said:
Tier 1 workers — anyone who joined the company in 2007 or earlier — earn nearly $33 an hour on average, according to the Detroit Three’s contract summaries. Those hired after 2007 are part of the bottom tier and earn up to $17 an hour based on a 6% annual raise under the most recent contract.
Not all Detroit Three autoworkers are close to the top wage rate. Temporary or additional workers are paid less.
With regard to CEO compensation – $29 million to Mary Barra from GM$21 million to Ford Jim Farley and $24.8 million to Stellantis in 2022, As the Free Press recently noted.
UAW strike: Here’s what Detroit automakers must offer the UAW to get a deal, experts say
What makes UAW special?
- Abolition of wage classes
- A 40% pay increase throughout the contract period. The 40% indicates the increase in executive salaries.
- – Re-adjusting the cost of living allowance to combat inflation.
- A fixed pension for all employees.
- The right to strike due to factory closures.
- Less work week and more paid vacation.
- Limit the use of temporary workers.
- Increased benefits for current retirees.
Since the strike began in mid-September, UAW President Shawn Fain has twice expanded the strike to include 38 parts distribution centers across the country and GM’s Lansing Delta Assembly, along with Ford’s Chicago Assembly and Kentucky Truck.
There are about 115,000 UAW members still in work.
Jimmy L. LaRue He contributed to this report