(Update: Ford and the union reportedly reached a tentative deal on Wed. night. LRI analysis can be found here.)
By now, UAW President Shawn Fain has ensured everyone knows about his Stand-Up Strike. Fain expanded the walkout on multiple fronts this week, first adding another 6,800 autoworkers from a Stellantis Michigan truck plant to the picket lines. He escalated his tactics by adding 5,000 more striking workers from GM’s Escalade plant in Texas.
This adds up to around 30% of the total 146,000 UAW autoworkers who are currently on strike, and that doesn’t account for the thousands of nonunion Ford, GM, Stellantis, and supply workers who are increasingly being laid off as the work stoppage advances through Week 6.
These autoworker strikes are scattered across the U.S. but focused in Detroit because they don’t call it the Motor City for nothing. Additionally, downtown Detroit has now been dubbed by the AFL-CIO as “Strike City” because simultaneous strikes are also ongoing by Detroit casino workers and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan customer care/claims staff.
The latter two groups are marching on opposite sides of the same street, and guess what union is at least partially responsible for all three strikes? Yes, you nailed it.
Over 1,000 Blue Cross workers who walked out over a month ago are UAW members (yes, this is almost as odd as the union’s growing grad student roster) who seek raises and an end to job outsourcing. Intriguingly as well, they recently voiced displeasure with Fain seemingly ignoring them and providing them with zero updates during his Big Three extravaganza.
The UAW also has a hand in the casino strike. Those operations are overseen by the Detroit Casino Council, which feeds into several unions, including the UAW, Unite Here, Teamsters, Operating Engineers, and Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters. In total, 3,700 casino workers – asking for raises in accordance with inflation – have been striking several major Detroit venues since late September.
Those also frustrated casino workers have now lobbied the city council over a lack of movement on their contracts. Depending on who you ask, UAW autoworkers are either “weary” and in financial straits due to their $500 weekly strike pay, or their “morale is still up high.”
Fain is holding out for the Big Three to increase their current record offers of around 23% raises, or half of what the UAW demanded. Presumably, he’s laser-focused on landing huge wage increases (and restored COLA benefits) for autoworkers because that grabs the most headlines, allowing him to lure in more autoworkers, including at EV battery plants.
Meanwhile, GM estimates that this week’s Escalade walkout will increase their weekly strike cost to $400 million. Squirrelly Fain called for that walkout when the company announced positive quarterly financial results. So, he likely believes that he still has the upper hand.
Still, that $850 million UAW strike fund should soon dwindle, and we should then learn whether Fain’s gamble of biting off more than he can chew – and disappointing members who aren’t in flashy, nationwide strikes – will bite him in the militant butt. Then perhaps Detroit can finally take a breather.
Click for Bargaining Updates – Ford
Click for Bargaining Updates – General Motors
Click for Bargaining Update – Stellantis
