UAW to strike more GM, Stellantis facilities, makes progress with Ford

(Reuters) -The United Auto Workers will expand its strikes against Detroit automakers General Motors (NYSE:) and Chrysler parent Stellantis (NYSE:), but has made real progress in talks with Ford Motor (NYSE:), the union said on Friday.

The union will begin strikes against 38 parts distribution centers across the United States at GM and Stellantis, extending its unprecedented, simultaneous strikes that began with one assembly plant each of the Detroit Three.

Here is a timeline of events beginning with the election of the new UAW chief in March:

Date Development

March 25 Shawn Fain wins the race for the

role of UAW president; vows to take a tough

stance with the Big Three automakers.

July 10 The union says it will open contract talks

with Detroit’s Big Three automakers starting

July 13.

July 11 Fain says the union is not afraid to hold a

strike at any of the automakers without a

fair contract.

July 19 Fain meets President Joe Biden at the White

House as the union briefed the staff on

contract talks with the Detroit Three

automakers.

Aug. 1 The UAW presents demands to Stellantis, says

the union is seeking ambitious benefit

increases from the Detroit Three, including

double-digit pay rises and defined-benefit

pensions for all workers.

Aug. 2 The union presents contract demands to

General Motors

Aug. 3 The union presents contract demands to Ford

Aug. 8 Fain angrily tosses contract proposals from

Stellantis in a trash can, citing numerous

concessions that the Chrysler parent is

seeking in labor talks.

Aug. 25 The UAW says 97% of voting members were in

favor of authorizing a strike at the Detroit

Three if an agreement is not reached before

Sept. 14.

Aug. 31 The union says it has filed unfair labor

practice charges with the National Labor

Relations Board (NLRB) against GM and

Stellantis, saying they have refused to

bargain in good faith.

Aug. 31 Ford makes a contract offer to the UAW,

providing hourly employees with 15%

guaranteed combined wage increases, lumpsum

payments and improved benefits over the life

of the contract

Sept. 1 The U.S. NLRB says it will investigate unfair

labor practice charges filed by the UAW union

against GM and Stellantis.

Sept 6 The UAW makes a labor contract

counterproposal on economic issues to Ford

Sept. 7 GM makes counteroffer to the UAW that

includes a 10% wage hike and two additional

3% annual lumpsum payments over four years.

Fain calls the offer “insulting.”

Sept. 8 Stellantis says it offered U.S. hourly

workers a 14.5% wage hike over four years but

no lumpsum payments.

Sept. 8 Fain says the UAW union wants a deal to avoid

walkouts at the Detroit Three but expects to

go on strike against all of them next week if

they do not improve their contract offers.

Sept. 11 Stellantis says it plans to make a new

counteroffer to the UAW after the union made

its own revised offer on Sunday ahead of the

expiration of the current four-year labor

deal Thursday night.

Sept. 13 The UAW rejected counteroffers from the

automakers and outlined plans for strikes

targeting individual U.S. auto plants in what

would be its first-ever simultaneous strike

against the Detroit Three.

Sept. 15 The UAW launched simultaneous strikes that

will halt production of some popular models

at three factories owned by GM, Ford and

Stellantis.

Sept. 16 Negotiators for the UAW and Ford had

“reasonably productive discussions” toward a

new contract, while officials at Stellantis

said a proposal to resume work at an idled

Illinois factory has fallen through.

On the fourth day of the strike, UAW said it

Sept. 18 would announce on Sept. 22 more plants to

strike if no serious progress was made in

talks, adding to pressure on the Detroit

Three automakers.

Sept. 19 UAW members picketing in Michigan

and Ohio urged union leaders to hold firm on

their biggest demands on pay hikes and

compensation as the strike hits its fifth

day.

Sept. 20 UAW said 190 workers went on

strike at Mercedes-supplier ZF’s plant in

Alabama, demanding higher pay and better

healthcare benefits.

Sept. 22 UAW will expand its strikes

against GM and Stellantis, but has made real

progress in talks with Ford Motor, the union

said

.

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