About 1.46 lakh auto workers in the US are set to participate in a series of strikes. They are unhappy with the pay hikes offered to them.
The United Auto Workers has called for a series of strikes against US auto plants. For the first time in the country, there will be simultaneous strikes against the Big Three of Detroit, that is, General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler-parent Stellantis.
The UAW had warned of this coordinated strike if the automakers failed to reach an agreement on a new contract that would cover at least 1.5 lakh workers employed across these auto plants.
The existing contract is set to expire today, that is, 14 September.
Earlier, the NLRB had said it would look into the allegations by UAW against GM and Stellantis, of unfair labour practices.
On 6 September, UAW had presented a labour contract counterproposal to Ford on various economic matters. Immediately after that, GM had made a counteroffer to the Union offering a wage increment of 10 per cent in addition to a three per cent yearly lumpsum payments over a four-year period. The Union, however, refused to accept this offer.
Stellantis, on the other hand, offered its workers an increment of 14 per cent in hourly wages without any offer of lumpsum payments.
The Union, however, is looking forward to a better offer and threatens a walkout if it doesn’t materialise.
