Time is running short for Ford, General Motors and Stellantis to reach respective agreements with the United Auto Workers (UAW) for new contracts, and UAW President Shawn Fain reiterated Wednesday that his union is ready to strike against any of Detroit’s Big Three automakers that have not made a deal before next week’s deadline.
When asked during an interview with the Associated Press whether the labor union would strike against any of the companies that do not have tentative agreements in place when the current contracts expire at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14, Fain said, “That’s the plan.”
The labor union is seeking a 46% pay raise over the four-year contract along with an array of additional benefits, including a reduction of the workweek to 32 hours for 40 hours worth of pay for its 146,000 members at Ford, GM and Dodge parent Stellantis, whose latest offer the UAW rejected last month.
UAW members at each of the Big Three voted in favor of strike authorization last month by large margins, according to the union, passing with 96% among GM workers, 98% at Ford and 95% for Stellantis.
Although Fain doubled down Wednesday on saying the UAW could strike against all three automakers, he told the AP that the union does not want a strike and would prefer to reach new contract agreements before the deadline.