Tag Archive for: skilled trades

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UAW Reaches Tentative Agreement with Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Marking Historic Breakthrough for Southern Autoworkers

Autoworkers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant have won a historic tentative agreement with the company. After making history as the first Southern autoworkers outside the Big Three to join the UAW, the 3,200 workers at Volkswagen Chattanooga have won a tentative contract deal that provides 20 percent across-the-board wage increases, affordable health care, real job security, and more.

After workers voted 3-to-1 to join the UAW in 2024, they elected a 20-member negotiating committee of their peers. After months of negotiations, the tentative deal marks a breakthrough for non-union autoworkers and manufacturing workers across the South. The tentative deal ensures that Volkswagen workers have a legally binding and enforceable agreement that guarantees fair pay, more affordable health care, safer working conditions, and clear protections against favoritism.

“For years, Chattanooga workers were told to settle for less while Volkswagen made record profits. So, the workers stood together and won their union—and now they’ve secured a life-changing first agreement,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “This deal proves what happens when autoworkers stand up and demand their fair share. People said Southern autoworkers could never form a union or win a union contract. Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga said, ‘Watch this.’”

For workers like bargaining committee co-chair Steve Cochran, a skilled trades worker and co-chair of the Bargaining Committee, the agreement represents a turning point. “A strong contract makes sure promises are delivered. Respect and security shouldn’t be up for negotiation—and now they won’t be.”

The tentative agreement is especially significant given Volkswagen’s recent record-breaking profits. In 2024 alone, the world’s second-largest automaker reported $20.6 billion in profits—even as Chattanooga workers struggled under substandard health coverage and rising out-of-pocket costs.

Key Wins in the Tentative Agreement

  • Major Wage Increases – 20% GWI
    Substantial raises that begin to close the gap with industry standards and reflect Volkswagen’s record profits.
  • Improved High-Quality Health Care with No Increases
    Lower out-of-pocket costs, improved coverage, and protections that ensure no worker must choose between medical care and basic needs.
  • Big Bonuses Initial bonuses equaling $6,550 per worker upon ratification and additional annual bonuses of $2,550 for the life of the agreement. Thousands of dollars of additional compensation for each worker.
  • Job Security Protections
    Strong language against unilateral job cuts, shift reductions, and outsourcing—making sure VW keeps good union jobs in Chattanooga.
  • Stronger Health & Safety Standards
    Enforceable safety rules, dedicated union safety representatives, and a greater worker voice in identifying and fixing hazards on the job.
  • Paid Time Off & Scheduling Protections
    Guaranteed paid leave, fair scheduling requirements, and safeguards against forced overtime and favoritism.
  • Fair Discipline & Grievance Rights
    Clear, enforceable protections against unfair discipline and a transparent, worker-centered grievance process.
  • A Real Voice on the Job
    Rights that ensure workers have a say in day-to-day decisions that shape their work, their safety, and their future.

This historic agreement reflects significant improvements over the company’s last proposal in October, including:

  • New product commitments
  • Enhanced right-to-strike protections
  • Key newly won Job Security agreements, including protections against outsourcing
  • Thousands of additional dollars of annual compensation per worker
  • Key Skilled Trades issues addressed
  • Stronger safeguards against plant closures or the sale of operations

Workers will receive details of the tentative agreement in the coming days, followed by a ratification vote.

“This contract is proof that if you stand up and stick together, you can win a better life,” said Kelcey Smith, a worker in the paint department. “No matter where you live, or where you work, autoworkers deserve a union contract, whether at the Big Three or Volkswagen, from Detroit to Chattanooga. Volkswagen workers are showing the whole country what’s possible.”

The Chattanooga victory signals a profound shift in the Southern auto industry, as workers across the region stand up to global corporations, demand their fair share, and build a future where autoworkers—no matter where they live or what company they work for—have a collective voice and a seat at the table.

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Important Update for UAW Stellantis Members from Director Kevin Gotinsky

UAW Stellantis Members,

After the previous Stellantis leadership pursued a misguided race-to-the-bottom strategy—leading to plummeting sales and thousands of layoffs—the company is now working to regain its footing. The board has appointed Antonio Filosa, former head of North American operations, as the new CEO. UAW leadership will continue to meet with Filosa to push for honoring commitments to increase investment in American workers.

But we’re not just taking management at its word. We have a responsibility to enforce our contract and ensure our laid-off members are brought back to work. Contract enforcement is strongest when our members are actively involved. You are the first line of defense on the shop floor against any violations of the agreement. That’s why the UAW Stellantis Department regularly updates you on important contractual issues.

If you believe the company is violating the contract, contact your steward or committee person immediately.

Indefinite Layoffs are Decreasing

While we still have a way to go, we’re making real progress in getting our membership back to work. We hit a peak of 3,228 indefinitely laid-off members on February 1. On June 1, we saw that number decrease to 2,425 indefinitely laid-off members. We expect that number to decrease further in the coming months. The company has agreed to backfill an additional 423 vacant positions in June, due to workers taking separation packages (VTEPs and IPRs). That will bring us close to 2,000 indefinitely laid-off workers across Stellantis, a reduction of around 1,200 workers on indefinite layoff. While this progress is meaningful, we know that even a single member on indefinite layoff is one too many. We remain fully committed to using every tool at our disposal to end these layoffs and ensure all our members return to work.

Be Vigilant: Summer Replacements

There has been confusion about the company’s ability to hire summer replacements, while our members are laid-off. The company has posted some ads and held hiring events in certain locations for new, off-the-street hires. Some members are asking whether this is a violation of our contract. Our contract requires the company to recall all laid-off full-time employees on a plant’s recall list and in a plant’s labor market, before hiring new full-time employees (M-16). However, the company is currently able to bring on new temporary part-time employees, if there is no business need for a full-time position. We need to make sure that the company follows our agreement. If you know of any new full-time hires, please notify a union representative immediately, as we will want to take swift action.

Welcome New UAW Members at Stellantis StarPlus Battery Plant

Welcome to our new UAW sisters and brothers at StarPlus, the Stellantis Battery Joint Venture with Samsung, in Kokomo. Our 2023 agreement brought these battery workers under our Stellantis master agreement for the first time ever and they just successfully completed the card check process to join UAW Local 1166. Let’s give these 400 plus workers a warm welcome to the UAW. We are all stronger when every Stellantis worker negotiates under one master agreement, so it’s important for all of us that StarPlus is now part of the UAW.

Update on Dundee Temporary Layoff

Due to the length of the temporary layoff at Dundee Engine, healthcare coverage expired for 238 workers who were temporarily laid-off at Dundee. The Stellantis Department successfully negotiated the reinstatement of these benefits for the affected members, beyond what was contractually required during a temporary layoff. We are in regular communication with Stellantis about Dundee and are pressing the company to finish their retooling, while ensuring that the health and safety of our members is the top priority.

Belvidere Reopening Progress

As part of the process of bringing Belvidere Assembly back online, we have learned that the company has selected a lead launch coordinator. They have also started to select launch coordinators for various departments. The company is having teams walk through the plant to determine what work will need to be done by Skilled Trades prior to opening. This is positive news that shows that plans to reopen the plant are moving ahead. We will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that we are on track and the contract is followed.

Our strength as a union comes from our membership. We appreciate you staying informed about these important issues and helping us enforce our contract.

In solidarity,

Kevin Gotinsky

Director, UAW Stellantis Department

Download the full letter:

VIEW PDF
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Collateral Damage: Mack Trucks Workers Speak Out Against Broken Trade Laws That Kill Jobs for Corporate Profit




Allentown, PA – In a new video, members of UAW Local 677, who build Mack Trucks in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, speak out against broken trade deals that are threatening thousands of good blue-collar jobs. The video highlights the deep frustration and disappointment felt by workers who have dedicated their careers to producing quality trucks in the Lehigh Valley, while the company pursues plans to offshore jobs to a new low-wage, high-exploitation facility in Mexico.

“We’re collateral damage, basically, to someone’s stroke of a pen. And it’s scary to think that that happens in this world today. It really does make you reevaluate what you mean to your employer. Or what you don’t mean to your employer,” says Nicole DeFuso, a skilled trades apprentice at Mack.

To view the full video, click here.

In 2023, Mack Truck workers went on strike to win a new agreement at the iconic truck maker. During those negotiations, the company falsely represented plans to further invest in Pennsylvania. Instead, the company has broken ground to build a facility in Monterrey, Mexico, where workers are likely to make less than $4 an hour.

The UAW has filed Unfair Labor Practice charges at the National Labor Relations Board over the company’s bad faith bargaining. Mack’s decision to build a plant in Mexico—rather than keeping production in the United States—is the direct result of disastrous trade policies such as NAFTA and its successor, the USMCA.

These policies, backed by both major political parties, have paved the way for corporations to chase lower wages and weaker labor protections, leaving American workers behind. The move threatens good-paying union jobs, undermines the region’s economic stability, and represents what workers have called “a slap in the face” after years of dedication and commitment.

“The products are being sold for the same amount if not more. But that’s all going into the pockets of the corporations,” says Michael Shupp, a Local 677 member at Mack.

The newly released video provides firsthand accounts from UAW Local 677 members, who express their concerns about job security, economic uncertainty, and the erosion of domestic manufacturing. It calls out the bipartisan failure to protect American workers from these trade policies, which have fueled a race to the bottom in wages and working conditions, allowing corporations like Mack to exploit cheaper labor abroad at the expense of U.S. jobs.

The UAW has been vocal in demanding the immediate renegotiation of the USMCA, recognizing that for 40 years, so-called “free trade” has devastated the working class. Corporations have driven a relentless race to the bottom, killing good blue-collar jobs in America while exploiting workers in other countries with poverty wages. The union has also encouraged the use of tariffs as a tool in the fight to undo the injustice of anti-worker trade deals.

“I remember when I was a kid, my dad would talk about NAFTA. Now you read up on this stuff and you see how much destruction that certain things can have,” says DeFuso.

“We need to have laws that are going to support us and not have to be worried about potentially losing our jobs,” says Dan Hand, a Committeeperson with Local 677.

The union has expressed that if corporate America chooses to jack up prices on the working class or throw their own workers under the bus just to avoid paying their fair share, they should pay a penalty. The working class took the full hit when NAFTA hollowed out manufacturing towns like those in the Lehigh Valley, and they shouldn’t bear the brunt of undoing it, too.

The UAW is actively engaged in negotiations with the Trump Administration regarding its plans to end the free trade disaster. The union is looking to negotiate the terms of the upcoming auto tariffs in April in a way that benefits the working class. The union is demanding serious action to incentivize companies to change their behavior, reinvest in America, and stop cheating the American worker, the American consumer, and the American taxpayer.

 

Full text of video here:

The policies that reflect trade have not been on the worker side for many years.

And here we are.

Having them breaking ground in Monterrey, Mexico, for a Mack facility.

Collateral damage basically to someone’s stroke of a pen. And it’s scary to think that that happens in this world today.

When the company is looking at where they can go, they’re going to find the cheapest place possible. And in 1994, GM was moving to Mexico because they could pay their employees $0.48 an hour. Mack is currently moving to Mexico because they can pay their employees $3 to $4 an hour.

Really does make you reevaluate.

Wait, what you mean to your employer, or what you don’t mean to your employer?

Now, with this information, as far as with the Mexico plant, this is the first time that myself, in over 26 years, and I’m actually concerned about the longevity of the plant.

I remember when I was a kid, my dad would talk about NAFTA, and he was so mad about it. And I was just like, I don’t know what that is.

But now you read up on this stuff and you see how much destruction that certain things can have.

We need to have laws that are going to support us and not have to be worried about potentially losing our jobs.

The products are being sold for the same amount, if not more. But that’s all going into the pockets of the corporations.

Like, this is our life. This is our livelihood.

There’s a lot of question marks as far as where we’re going to be in the future.

You know, the work is important to us.

Maybe they had this in the back of their mind the whole time, that they would just move this plant and save the money on wages, going to a foreign country where they’re going to pay them pennies on the dollar to do the same labor that we do.

They’re building a bigger divide between the haves and have-nots.

The income down in Mexico is very low compared to what it is here.

They need to support their families as well.

You want to feel like your livelihood matters.

It will definitely affect work here in the Lehigh Valley.

I have 25 years in the place. You know, I planned on retiring from there.

Who wants to see us go?

Nobody, really.

When it comes to manufacturing, those are good jobs that we need to fight for.

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Breaking: Union Drive for Volkswagen Workers Goes National As New Jersey VW Workers File to Join UAW

Cranbury, NJ – The push to unionize Volkswagen has gone national, as VW autoworkers at a large distribution center in New Jersey have reached supermajority support and just became the first VW workers on the East Coast to file to unionize with the UAW. They join more than 4,000 VW workers in Chattanooga, TN, who won their union with UAW nearly a year ago. The New Jersey facility is now VW’s second in the country to organize with the UAW in the past 12 months.

“Every autoworker in America deserves a union,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Volkswagen workers made history in Chattanooga last April, and now, New Jersey VW workers are stepping up. We won’t stop until every autoworker who wants a union has one.”

“We saw what was going on at the Big Three, and then Volkswagen workers in Tennessee won their union despite pushback from management,” said Sergio Sumano Jr, a warehouse worker with 7 years at the Volkswagen PDC/RDC in New Jersey. “Now, it’s our turn. We deserve fair pay, affordable benefits, and a secure retirement – just like every other unionized autoworker in the U.S. If Volkswagen wants to operate in America, they need to treat us with the same dignity as their workers overseas.”

“Operating in New Jersey means operating with full respect for labor law and the rights of working people,” said Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), who represents the congressional district in New Jersey where the VW workers filed and many are constituents.  “I’m proud to stand with the inspiring New Jersey Volkswagen workers unionizing with UAW and telling corporate power that working people will not be brought to heel.”

“Volkswagen has been getting away with exploiting their U.S. workers for far too long,” said UAW Region 9 Director Dan Vicente. “It’s clear the balance of power is shifting. Autoworkers across the country witnessed workers demanding their due during the Stand Up Strike. When they see what can be won when we unite together, anything is possible.”

After winning their union on April 19, 2024, VW workers in Chattanooga are now fighting for a first agreement that reflects unionized auto manufacturing standards in the U.S. as well as the company’s record-breaking profits. Volkswagen lags behind its competitors in wages and benefits and treats its U.S. workers worse than its foreign workforce. With the one-year anniversary of the workers’ union win approaching, pressure is mounting at the bargaining table.

“Volkswagen racked up $24.4 billion in profits in 2023 by paying their large U.S. workforce poverty wages with shameful workplace benefits and conditions,” said Steve Cochran, a UAW member and 14 year skilled trades worker at Volkswagen Chattanooga. “Volkswagen must be held to account for failing for decades to provide good jobs for U.S. workers, and the only way that’s going to happen will be by workers in VW, Tennessee, and elsewhere standing together to take action and demand better. Since we won our union, we’ve won key protections at work including the right to have a voice on the issues that matter most – and now we’re working to negotiate a historic first contract that will finally give Volkswagen workers in the South the same good union standards workers have won at Stellantis, GM, and Ford.”

Volkswagen PDC and RDC workers in New Jersey distribute aftermarket parts across the country. They will be the first Volkswagen distribution workers to join UAW; in Tennessee, the Volkswagen workers assemble cars inside auto plants. Regardless of location, job, or employer, UAW members welcome all Volkswagen and other non-union workers across the country to join the fight for economic and social justice, in the auto industry and beyond.

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UAW Reaches Tentative Agreement with Rolls-Royce

Indianapolis — The UAW has reached a groundbreaking tentative agreement with Rolls-Royce ahead of the contract’s expiration at midnight on Wednesday, February 26. This agreement follows a major rally the day prior and the escalation of a credible strike threat against the world’s second-largest manufacturer of aircraft engines.

The five-year agreement, covering more than 800 workers in Indianapolis, delivers significant economic gains, including the elimination of wage tiers, double-digit wage increases, a true profit-sharing plan that the company cannot manipulate arbitrarily, improved retirement benefits, and a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) that will now be rolled into base pay for all workers.

In a direct address to membership, UAW President Shawn Fain outlined key parts of the deal and reflected on the tenacity of the Rolls-Royce membership and bargaining committee.

To view President Fain’s remarks in full, head to UAW’s Facebook page, and read Fain’s prepared remarks below. The media is invited to use these materials.
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UAW President Shawn Fain Prepared Remarks on Rolls-Royce Negotiations, February 26, 2025

For months, the Local 933 bargaining team has been hard at work, negotiating to win a contract for our members that truly represents the massive profits they make for this company.

Our members at Rolls-Royce do incredibly important work.

The company is the second largest manufacturer of aircraft engines in the world, and the facility here in Indianapolis produces aircraft engines for our nation’s military.

Our members are proud of the work they do, and it’s their blood, sweat, and tears that make Rolls-Royce’s billions in profits possible.

I’m proud to stand here today with this bargaining team and Region 2B Director Dave Green to announce to our membership that we have reached a tentative agreement that reflects the hard work and sacrifices made by our members.

So, let’s take a look at what’s in the TA. First: We are ending wage tiers at Rolls-Royce!

For the lowest tier — Tier 4 — you are going to see an $18.79 raise over the life of this agreement. That’s a raise of 68%.

That’s a life changing wage increase.

For Tier 2, they will immediately be brought to the legacy rate.

At the beginning of the final year of the contract, ALL PRODUCTION WORKERS at Rolls-Royce will be making a top wage of $46.37 an hour. And that does NOT include COLA.

Similarly, At the beginning of the final year of the contract, skilled trades will be making over $50 an hour.

Next, I want to talk about COLA.

Rolls-Royce has a big COLA. But not everyone gets it, and nobody gets it folded into their base pay.

This means that our wages don’t necessarily keep up with inflation over time. It also means that when workers get a raise, it doesn’t include the COLA.

With this agreement, EVERYONE gets COLA, with the same strong formula we’ve had previously.

And everyone will get COLA folded into their base pay.

We also are seeing healthy general wage increases, more than twice as high as the previous contract.

We told the company, we needed wage increases in EVERY year of the agreement.

At the new UAW, we will no longer accept lump sum bonuses in the place of wage increases which increase our lifetime earnings.

That’s how you raise the standard of living for the working class. That’s what we deserve and we aren’t going to accept anything less.

I’m also excited to announce that we won back true profit sharing at Rolls Royce.

For years, Rolls-Royce has been giving out a bonus that they called profit share, but that bonus was based on a formula that wasn’t transparent and that management could change on a whim.

Now we are back to a profit sharing formula based on the company’s publicly shared profit margins. That’s the same way we do it at the Big Three.

Our new profit sharing formula means the company can’t lie, they can’t hide, and it means that Rolls-Royce members are going to earn on average thousands of more dollars than they have in the past.

We worked hard to get more vacation for our members.

Some workers in the middle of their career are going to see an additional two days of vacation. Workers with four years or less are going to receive an ENTIRE additional week of vacation.

One of the biggest and thorniest issues in bargaining was retirement.

For legacy workers, we are excited to announce that we successfully increased the monthly Basic benefit rate from $60.94 to $65 per year of credited service.

That’s a bigger increase to the monthly Basic benefit rate than the last two contracts combined. It’s the biggest increase in twenty years.

For those with a 401(k), we raised the company match from 5% to 7% while keeping the additional 3% company contribution.

There is so much more that was won in this contract, but these are just a few of the highlights that we were excited to share with you tonight.

While the bargaining team behind me are extremely proud of this TA and all of the work that it took to win it, we know that, ultimately, this decision is up to our members and our members alone.

The membership is always the highest authority in the UAW.

In the coming days, Local 933 will be rolling out highlighters and sharing the TA’d language and holding roll-out meetings where members will be able to ask our bargaining team any questions they have before they vote on whether to ratify this agreement.

I want to close by saying this bargaining team has worked their assess off for the membership.

They stood up to the company and demanded a historic agreement and I’m proud to say that is exactly what they won.

Following the success of the Stand Up Strike at the Big Three, we have seen UAW members win massive gains in historic agreements at Allison Transmission, Daimler Trucks, Cornell University, and now here at Rolls-Royce.

And all of those victories were made possible by the membership. Winning strong agreements is only possible when our members are organized and united.

It only happens when the company looks over the shoulder of our bargaining team and sees an army of fired up and fed up members who are ready to do what it takes to win what they deserve.

That is exactly what happened here this week when hundreds of members showed up to rally in support of their bargaining team and show the company that they were ready to strike if needed.

I’m so proud of my UAW family and I’m incredibly honored to be back home again in Indiana, the home of Local 933 to celebrate this massive victory.

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UAW Members at Detroit Axle Ratify Contract

REDFORD, MI — UAW members at Detroit Axle voted by 84% on Saturday to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement with Daimler Truck of North America. The contract covers more than 400 workers at Daimler Trucks’ Detroit Axle facility in Redford, which builds axles and transmissions.

The agreement secures profit-sharing and Cost-of-Living (COLA) benefits for the first time at Detroit Axle. Additionally, the agreement will raise wages for some workers by as much as 50% through the life of the agreement.

“I would like to congratulate the hardworking membership and bargaining committee at Detroit Axle on this major win. This agreement brings long overdue financial gains for our membership at Detroit Axle,” said Laura Dickerson, UAW Region 1A Director. “UAW members in Region 1A are showing that corporate greed is no match for working people. When we stand together, we win!”

“We were prepared to use every tool in the toolbox to win this contract. We were informed, wore red shirts on Wednesdays to show our unity, and ultimately voted 99% to authorize a strike,” said Mike Stack, a second shift skilled trades worker at Detroit Axle. “Daimler knew they had to do right by the people who make their profits day in and day out.”

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Statement from UAW Vice President Mike Booth on Update of the GM Special Attrition Program (SAP)

As you may know, our 2023 contract provides multiple opportunities for retiring pension-eligible GM workers to receive a $50,000 benefit. This benefit is called the Special Attrition Program, or SAP. We were successful in negotiating this benefit because of the solidarity of our members standing strong while we were at the bargaining table. We all owe a debt of gratitude to those retiring members who came before us.  

The second round of SAP is currently open. Everyone who is retirement eligible as of March 31, 2025 is eligible for this round of SAP. The application window opened on Thursday November 22, 2024 and closes on January 5, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST. 

We continue to improve the SAP. In our first round, all 1,412 GM production workers who signed up received the benefit. However, of the 545 skilled trades workers who expressed interest in taking the SAP, only 142 were eligible in the first window. Our Skilled Trades members wanted more, and we delivered. In this round, anyone who is eligible and applies will receive the benefit, including all skilled trades and production workers. 

There is some important information that I want everyone considering the SAP to keep in mind. This is the only SAP opportunity we anticipate for 2025 and do not expect another round of SAP until 2026, at the earliest. Applications for SAP are made online through Workday. You can apply for SAP and withdraw your application multiple times during the application window. However, if you have not withdrawn your decision by January 5th at 11:59pm, you will be required to retire. Once the window closes, your decision is final. If you have any questions about the SAP benefit, please direct them to your Local Union Bargaining Committee. 

I want to thank our negotiating team for their work on this round of SAP and also our membership for securing such a strong contract. Our SAP at GM is unique because it has multiple rounds, with more members becoming eligible at each round.  This means far more GM workers will be eligible to receive the $50,000 SAP. The size, scope, and timing of each phase of the SAP has to be negotiated. Our team is getting results.  

In solidarity,

UAW Vice President Mike Booth 

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UAW Reaches Tentative Agreement at Ford’s River Rouge – Tool & Die Unit

Dearborn, MI – UAW Local 600’s Tool & Die Unit at Ford’s Rouge Complex has reached a tentative local agreement with Ford Motor Company.

A deal was secured that strengthens job security by protecting against the impacts of advancements in 3D printing, along with establishing a process to secure additional die work as required. Additionally, the UAW achieved an agreement to eliminate the wage disparity for skilled trades, ensuring fair and equal pay across the board.

Now, the roughly 500 UAW members at the Dearborn facility will review the details of the agreement and hold a ratification vote in the coming days. If ratified, the agreement will set a new standard for the skilled trades at Ford.

“The members at the Rouge Complex understand the power of strength in numbers,” said UAW Vice President Chuck Browning. “They stuck together and showed Ford that they were willing to stand up if necessary to win what they deserve.”

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UAW Serves Strike Notice at Ford’s River Rouge – Tool & Die Unit Over Local Agreement Issues Including Job Security, Wage Parity and Work Rules

Dearborn, MI – The Tool & Die Unit at Ford’s River Rouge Complex will strike on Thursday, September 26 if local contract issues are not resolved.

After Ford Motor Company has failed to reach a local agreement with the UAW Local 600, Tool & Die Unit at the Rouge Complex more than a year past the contract deadline, UAW Vice President Chuck Browning has received authorization from UAW President Shawn Fain to set a strike deadline for 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, Sept 25.

The core issues in the Tool & Die Unit’s local negotiations are job security, wage parity for Skilled Trades, as well as work rules.

In addition to the UAW’s national contracts, UAW members negotiate local agreements around plant-specific issues at each facility.

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Statement from UAW Vice President Mike Booth on Expansion of GM Special Attrition Program

“In our 2023 contract negotiations, we won an additional $50,000 for eligible GM workers who were ready to retire, as an additional boost in retirement security for our members who have given decades of their working lives to this company. It’s called the Special Attrition Program, or SAP. We wanted to make sure workers who are ready to retire get an additional bonus as recognition for their service to GM, and the many sacrifices made along the way. 

One difference between what we won at GM and what we won at Ford and Stellantis is that every GM worker who’s eligible to retire during the life of the agreement will have the opportunity to receive the $50,000 SAP, if they choose to do so; not just those members who were eligible upon ratification. But the size, scope, and timing of each phase of the SAP was to be negotiated.  

As you know, we negotiated our first phase earlier this year, and won SAP eligibility for around 748 members. Once we announced this first phase, many members spoke up and said that we needed to expand the eligibility in this first phase. 

We heard you. So we took it back to the company and said it wasn’t good enough. 

Today I am excited to announce that we have won SAPs for ALL 1,412 GM production workers who signed up for the SAP. Those workers will immediately be eligible to receive the $50,000 retirement bonus, with retirement dates effective June 1st, July 1st or August 1st. That’s a big win, and a big expansion from what GM was first willing to offer. 

But we still have work to do. We have not yet won immediate eligibility of all of the 545 skilled trades workers who have expressed interest in taking the SAP; only about 142 are immediately eligible in this first window. We’re still fighting to win an expansion on that number. At GM, we have a shortage of skilled trades workers, a problem which will require creative solutions on the company’s part, and an expansion of their apprenticeship programs. We’re going to continue to fight for our skilled trades members who want to retire. And to be clear, every single member who is eligible to retire will have the opportunity to receive the $50,000 SAP during the life of this contract, skilled trades and production.  

The other good news is that the next window is coming soon. The company has agreed to open the next SAP window in the 4th quarter of 2024. 

We are hard at work on building on our contract victories, and intend to keep delivering for all UAW members at GM. 

In solidarity,

UAW Vice President Mike Booth 

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