Almost 4,000 UAW members at Mack Trucks have joined 25,000 workers from Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis on picket lines. Workers for the truck manufacturer overwhelmingly approved a strike vote on Monday, leading to walkouts at multiple facilities in three states.
The strike came as a surprise to Mack Trucks President Stephen Roy, reports Reuters. A tentative agreement between the manufacturer of heavy trucks and the UAW was reached on October 1, but it wasn’t enough to pass a final vote from UAW members. In fact, it wasn’t even close – the proposal was rejected by 73 percent, thus leading to a walkout at 7:00 AM Monday morning at Mack locations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Florida.
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The sticking point in the proposed five-year contract was a 19 percent pay raise, which members found inadequate to keep up with inflation according to Reuters. The proposal also included better retirement benefits, a shorter timeframe to reach top pay, additional vacation time, and a $3,500 ratification bonus.
In a post to X by the official UAW account, UAW President Shawn Fain said he was “inspired to see UAW members at Mack holding out for a better dealer, and ready to stand up and walk off the job to win it.”
Of course, the latest UAW strike against Mack Trucks joins ongoing strikes against Detroit automakers that have endured for nearly a month. Upwards of 15,000 UAW members working for Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, walked off the job on September 15 over a multitude of concerns including pay, retirement benefits, tiered pay structures, and vacation times. The strikes were expanded against Ford and GM on September 29, sending 25,000 workers to picket lines. The threat of expanded strikes on October 6 didn’t come to fruition, with Fain citing significant progress in the talks.
But a deal in Detroit isn’t yet in sight. Automotive News reports Ford offering a 23 percent pay increase in its latest offer, with GM and Stellantis both at 20 percent. All three propose increases to 401K contributions as well as added time off. As for tiers, Ford offers equal pay after a wage grow-in period but various tiers at GM and Stellantis remain. Temporary workers, also an issue with UAW members, remain at all three companies. The UAW seeks a 36 percent pay increase with a 90-day grow-in period, all temp workers converted to full-time, and a return to defined-benefit pensions, among other things.
As for Mack Trucks, it’s back to the bargaining table. It’s unclear at this time how long the strike may last against the company.
