UAW reaches tentative deal with 3 automakers

After a six-week strike, United Auto Workers (UAW) has struck tentative agreements with General Motors (GM), Ford and Chrysler-owned Stellantis. The proposed agreement reached with GM on Monday is similar to ones reached with the other two automakers and would provide big increases in wages, benefits and increased job security.  

The settlements that ended the strikes mean that automakers will raise top assembly plant workers' pay by more than 30% to around $42 an hour by the time new contracts end in April of 2028. Less senior workers and temporary hires will receive much bigger increases. 

The tentative agreements still need to be ratified by nearly 150,000 union members. Ratification is likely but not guaranteed.   

Just like state government workers, UAW members have taken concessions during the bad years but haven't received the benefits of the good years. This time they organized their workplaces from the bottom up to take on the powerful auto companies.  

MAPE members and staff were on the picket line with UAW workers in Plymouth, MN, each

weekend of the strike showing solidarity with our union siblings. “Unions built the middle class, and when we show up for each other, we win together. The UAW proved what can happen when working people realize they can and should demand more, they win,” Region 2 Director Cathleen Cotter said.    

“I thought it was important to show up for them because often when people take a stand that may be unpopular or uncertain, they want to know if they are supported and feel supported,” said Local 201’s Sheila Malec. “For me personally, it is a bigger issue of integrity – if I am able, I will not just talk, I will walk and stand with my brothers and sisters.”