Back‘No real intent to get…’, GM and Ford CEOs blast UAW leaders as strike escalates against Detroit Three
GM and Ford CEOs criticize UAW leaders as strike enters third week; UAW expands strike against Detroit Three.
PremiumHours after the union escalated the strike that has now entered its third week, the chief executives of GM and Ford blasted Union Auto Workers leaders on Friday. However, UAW chief Shawn Fain responded in kind as he expanded the first-ever simultaneous strike against the Detroit Three.
Fain on Friday ordered workers to walk off the job at Ford's Chicago assembly plant and GM's Lansing, Michigan, assembly plant. He said Stellantis was spared after last-minute concessions by the Chrysler parent.
GM CEO Mary Barra said, “It’s clear that there is no real intent to get to an agreement." On the other hand, Ford CEO Jim Farley said the union was holding a deal "hostage" over a dispute over future electric vehicle battery plants, Reuters reported.
In response, the UAW said that neither CEO had attended bargaining this week. “And yet, Barra and Farley made a combined $50 million dollars last year," the union added.
The Ford CEO further stated that the UAW demands could have a devastating impact on our business. He said the dispute centered around wages and benefits at new electric vehicle battery plants that have yet to start production.
“I don’t know why Jim Farley is lying about the state of negotiations. It could be because he failed to show up for bargaining this week, as he has for most of the past 10 weeks," Fain responded as quoted by Reuters.
The GM CEO accused Fain of dragging workers into a long, unnecessary strike and trying to make history for himself with the action. "Jeopardizing our future is something I will not do," Barra added.
Fain said differences with Ford include retirement benefits and job guarantees. The total number on picket lines has grown to 25,000, or about 17% of the union's members at the three automakers, as per Reuters reports.
The United Auto Workers union on Friday escalated its strikes against Detroit automakers by instructing an additional 7,000 workers in Illinois and Michigan to go on strike.
This move is aimed at increasing pressure on the companies to enhance their proposals. This marks the second occasion the union has expanded the strikes, which originally commenced two weeks ago at three assembly plants. The most recent expansion included a Ford plant in Chicago and a General Motors factory near Lansing.
Automakers have consistently expressed their willingness to provide salary increases, but they express concerns that a contract with high costs could result in their vehicles being priced higher than those produced at nonunion facilities in the United States that are operated by foreign corporations.
(With Reuters inputs)
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