UAW contract meets some opposition as factories vote on strike deal

The hard-fought contract secured by United Auto Workers (UAW) after weeks of strikes against the Big Three auto companies is now facing some opposition as it goes to a vote at unionized factories across the country.

The tentative agreements between the union and each carmarker – Ford, General Motors (GM) and Stellantis — came after a strike was launched in mid-September.

Around 46 percent of the UAW members at GM had voted against the contract by late Wednesday afternoon. At Ford, around 35 percent of hourly workers had voted against the contract. Stellantis UAW members were the least likely to push back. Only 26 percent of Stellantis UAW union members had voted against the contract as of Wednesday afternoon.

If those ratios hold up, the contracts would still move ahead, as a majority is needed for approval at each company.

The tentative agreements, struck late last month, include a 25 percent general wage increase during a 4.5 year contract, featuring an immediate 11 percent raise. The deals would also reinstate concessions made during the financial crisis over 10 years ago, like cost-of- living adjustments and faster progression to top wage rates, along with getting rid of the two-tiered wage system.

“These are huge steps forward in our goal of ending tiers, which have eroded our solidarity and our dignity while making these rich companies even richer,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in remarks posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at the end of last month.

During the six-week-long strike, the union upped progressively upped pressure on the Big Three by expanding the labor action to a growing list of factories. Before the UAW reached its deal with Ford, more than 45,000 workers were on strike. 

The Hill has reached out to the UAW and Ford, Stellantis and GM for comment.

Julia Shapero contributed reporting