DETROIT, MI – On Sunday, Ford Motor Company announced that while there has been some degree of progress in their ongoing negotiations with United Auto Workers (UAW), there are still “significant gaps to close” remaining before an agreement can be made with the striking union.
Although we are making progress in some areas, we still have significant gaps to close on the key economic issues,” Ford said via a statement. “In the end, the issues are interconnected and must work within an overall agreement that supports our mutual success.”
The UAW noted that while progress has been made, a contingency plan to send more workers to the picket line at 12 noon on Friday, September 29 may be necessary if it does not reach a deal with the country’s number two automaker.
We are NOT done at Ford. We still have serious issues to work through,” the UAW said. “But we do want to recognize that Ford is serious about reaching a deal.”
The UAW has already expanded their respective strikes against General Motors and Chrysler-parent Stellantis due to a lack of progress in their respective talks; if the UAW is indeed successful in reaching an agreement with Ford this week, it is expected that the union would use that as additional leverage against them.
The UAW began their strikes against Detroit’s “Big Three” automakers on September 15 following the expiration of their previous four-year labor deal; last Friday, the union added an additional 5,600 workers to the picket lines outside of GM and Stellantis to join the 12,700 already there.
Representing over 150,000 workers, the UAW’s demands include large pay raises; adjusting compensation for new workers by eliminating workers’ tiers; restoring previously cut cost of living adjustments; defined benefit pensions and retiree medical benefits; more paid time off and potentially a shorter work week; and several other measures, including increasing pension payments.
Joe Mcdermott is a journalist, reporter and writer for Auto Buyers Market as well as other independent news and media organizations in the United States. Joe works on a wide variety of topics and fields, has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, from local to national, and helps keep a keen-eye on what’s happening in the automotive world for Auto Buyers Market.