Aug. 14 (UPI) — President Joe Biden on Monday urged all parties to the negotiations between the United Auto Workers and major U.S. vehicle manufacturers to work hard to find an agreement before contracts expire in September.
Biden said that members of the labor union deserve a contract from the so-called Big Three automakers — General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler-Stellantis — that can sustain the middle class.
“As the Big Three auto companies and the United Auto Workers come together — one month before the expiration of their contract — to negotiate a new agreement, I want to be clear about where I stand,” he added. “I’m asking all sides to work together to forge a fair agreement.”
Contract negotiations are ongoing between the union and representatives from the automakers as head of the UAW, Sean Fain, said that the automakers combined for $21 billion in profits in the first half of 2023.
“Record profits mean record contracts,” the said earlier this month.
The UAW as a result is seeking a pay increase of 46% for workers over four years.
Fain at UAW took aim at Stellantis last week, accusing the automaker of breaking its promises on negotiations. The union wants better wages, including cost-of-living adjustments, better medical benefits for retirees and more paid time off.
The top brass at the Big Three, the UAW claimed, saw a 22% raise last year and workers should expect similar advances.
The labor union agreed to a number of concessions during the 2008-09 recession that saw many automakers pushed to the brink of bankruptcy. Cost-of-living pay increases and fewer benefits for new workers were among the things forfeited during the period.
Negotiations between the UAW and automakers follow a victory for the Teamsters union, which secured contract agreements for UPS workers for an average pay as high as $49 per hour.