Over 1,000 Workers at Bridgewater Interiors Vote Overwhelmingly to Ratify New Agreement
About 1,000 UAW Local 400 members who manufacture seats for vehicles like Ford F-150s and Stellantis Dodge RAM trucks at Bridgewater Interiors voted by 80% to ratify a new contract that secures a top rate of $35 per hour by 2030 among other major gains at the plant in Warren, MI.
“UAW Local 400 members at Bridgewater Interiors are another example of workers in the IPS sector who are ready to stand up and win their fair share,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “They don’t treat IPS CEOs like second-class citizens. So why do they treat IPS workers that way? Whether you build axles or seats, the days of allowing IPS workers to be treated like second class citizens is ending.”
Prior to this new agreement, most workers at Bridgewater earned less than $21 per hour, with hundreds of others having been stuck under $26 per hour. The newly ratified contract raises the top rate by almost $10 per hour by May 2029 – a 36% raise in under three years. Workers also secured a cap on increases to their health care costs for the life of the agreement as well as more time off and a $2,000 ratification bonus.
“UAW Local 400 members stood united,” said UAW Region 1 Director LaShawn English. “They told the company ‘$35 by 2030’ – and because they made their voices heard, they walk away with a contract that delivers on their demand.”
This was the second tentative agreement voted on by the UAW Local 400 members, who, in addition to rejecting a previous deal by 95%, voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if the company did not meet their demands. This is another example of workers in IPS plants fighting to recuperate years of underwhelming wages and benefits as they generate billions for a sector that supplies the auto industry, including the Big Three. Earlier in June, UAW members at American Axle in Three Rivers, MI ratified an agreement after walking out on strike for ten days.
“After voting down an initial deal by 95% and voting to authorize a strike, UAW Local 400 members sent a clear message to Bridgewater management: no contract, no seats,” said UAW Local 400 President Mark Hemphill. “And no seats mean no trucks for Ford and Stellantis – that’s power and leverage, and we put it to work.”
