UAW President Shawn Fain told workers in a live video appearance that the companies started gaming the system, waiting until Fridays to make progress in bargaining.
The apparently widening labor rift indicates that Ford and the UAW may be in for a lengthy strike that could cost the company and workers billions of dollars.
The UAW contends that the layoffs are unjustified and were imposed as part of the companies’ pressure campaign to persuade union members to accept less favorable terms in negotiations with automakers.
With the UAW strike now in its fourth week, EVs and their potential impact on job security have become central to union negotiations with the automakers.
The United Auto Workers union will announce Friday afternoon whether it will widen its strike to additional factories at Detroit’s biggest vehicle manufacturers after another week of tense contract bargaining.
In just a few months, Shawn Fain has gone from obscurity to one of the most visible leaders in America, demanding that his workers get more concessions from the Big Three automakers after two decades of givebacks.
The report of progress raises the possibility that the union might decide not to expand its walkouts at one or more of the companies.
Union President Shawn Fain told workers on a video appearance Friday that negotiations haven’t broken down but Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress.
The United Auto Workers union said it will broaden its strike at noon Friday unless there is last-minute progress in contract talks with Detroit’s Big Three automakers.
Additional walkouts will take place at noon Friday without serious progress in contract talks, the United Auto Workers union said.
In a statement, UAW President Shawn Fain called the move “a shameful, barely-veiled threat by Ford to cut jobs” at a plant that’s not open yet.
The UAW on Friday targeted GM and Stellantis distribution centers throughout the United States. Ford was spared additional walkouts because the company has met some of the union’s demands.
A clue of possible strike targets might be found in locations where UAW locals have announced they will hold rallies and practice picketing in the coming days. Those include a Ford plant in Louisville and a GM plant in Bedford, Indiana.
Stellantis, which makes Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles, said Wednesday that the layoffs are a consequence of the strike at its assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio.
The UAW’s initial list of demands was projected to cost each of the companies $80 billion over four years, according to people familiar with the companies’ estimates.
It was the first time in the UAW’s 88-year history that it walked out on all three companies simultaneously, as four-year contracts with the companies expired at 11:59 p.m. Thursday.
Union President Shawn Fain said the final decision on which plants to strike won’t be announced until 10 p.m. Thursday.
In an online address to union members, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said General Motors, Ford and Stellantis have raised their initial wage offers, but have rejected some of the union’s other demands.
A strike of more than a couple of weeks would reduce still-tight supplies of vehicles on Detroit automakers’ dealer lots. With demand still strong, prices would rise.
The union is seeking more than 40% general pay raises over four years, restoration of pensions for newer hires, cost-of-living increases, an end to wage tiers, and other benefits.
