UAW rejects Stellantis wage hike offer, continuing strike

The president of United Auto Workers (UAW) said Sunday the union rejected Jeep parent company Stellantis’s wage hike offer.

Stellantis offered a “highly competitive” wage hike proposal of 21 percent Saturday with an immediate 10 percent increase at the time of approval. UAW President Shawn Fain said Sunday that the offer did not meet their demands, noting that the strike will continue.

“It’s definitely a no go,” Fain told host Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “And we’ve made that very clear to the companies.”

He added that they are asking for 40 percent pay increases and slammed one of the corporation’s leaders for not being at the bargaining table.

“We’ve asked for 40 percent pay increases. And the reason we asked for 40 percent pay increases is because in the last four years alone, the CEO pay went up 40 percent. They’re already millionaires,” he said.

“You know, it’s shameful that, you know, … one of the leaders of the — one of the corporations sitting in his second home in Acapulco, while we’re bargaining rather than being at the bargaining table. And so, you know, our demands are just — we’re asking for our fair share in this economy and the fruits of our labor,” Fain added.

Workers at three U.S. autoplants are on strike after three major automakers and UAW failed to reach an agreement last week. Ford, Stellantis and General Motors have been engaged in negotiations with the union since July.

The workers are demanding wage increases, cost-of-living pay raises, the end to wage tiers for factory jobs, a 32-hour week with 40 hours of pay, the restoration of traditional defined-benefit pensions for new hires who now receive only 401(k)-style retirement plans and pension increases for retirees.