The President of the United Auto Workers said Friday, Oct. 6, that the organization will forego additional walkouts at this time after gaining a critical concession from General Motors over contracts for workers at battery factories.
During a livestream Friday, UAW President Shawn Fain said the union had made progress during talks with Ford, General Motors and Chrysler parent Stellantis. Because of that progress, UAW leadership decided the organization would not expand strikes against the “Big Three” automakers that began three weeks ago.
“We are making progress and we are headed in the right direction,” Fain said during the livestream.
Fain announced that GM agreed to include battery factory workers in the company’s national contract with the union. GM previously said that it “could not include those workers because they are employed by joint ventures between GM and battery suppliers,” The New York Times reported.
“UAW President Shawn Fain on Friday said General Motors agreed to include its battery plant workers under the union’s national agreement as part of its contract proposal to the union, avoiding a strike expansion for this week,” the union posted on its LinkedIn page.
Approximately 25,000 union-represented workers across the U.S. remain on strike. Last week, the organization expanded its strike against General Motors and Ford, at GM’s Lansing, Michigan, Delta Township Assembly and Ford’s Chicago Assembly.
According to The Times, Fain said all three automakers had agreed to improve their offers to UAW, including offering higher raises and cost-of-living increases. In a response to the newspaper, GM did not address details specifically regarding any proposed battery plant agreement.
“Negotiations remain ongoing, and we will continue to work towards finding solutions to address outstanding issues,” the company said in a statement. “Our goal remains to reach an agreement that rewards our employees and allows GM to be successful into the future.”
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