Since the start of UAW’s “Stand Up” strike on September 15th, locations at GM, and Stellantis production plants have been added and now include 38 locations across 20 states. UAW President Shawn Fain commented on the expansion,
“As you know, we gave our Members Demands to the company two months ago. They wasted a whole month failing to respond. But there has been movement. In particular, we’ve made real progress at Ford. We’re not there yet, but I want you to see the direction that Ford is going, and what we think that means for our contract fight.”
The UAW’s strike tactic is meant to afford “maximum leverage and maximum flexibility” as they have the ability to call more locals to strike as time goes on. The union has stated they have made progress in negotiations with Ford that include two years of income security in the event of a plant being sold or closed, temporary workers being included in profit-sharing and other benefits. However, the union has said they have not made “substantial progress” with Ford. With GM and Stellantis, the companies have not agreed to any proposals that would significantly increase the livelihood of their workers.
President Shawn Fain has gone on record saying that the UAW is looking to secure a 40% wage increase for workers citing the same increase in CEO pay over the last 4 years, re-instituting cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) protections, and ending the tiered system for wages.