(WXYZ) — United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain detailed the latest in the negotiations between the union and the Big Three automakers on Friday, citing breaking developments shortly before his 2 p.m. EDT Facebook Live.
Fain said after threatening a possible strike at General Motors' Arlington Assembly in Texas, the automaker reportedly agreed to place electric battery manufacturing plants under the national agreement.
”We are winning, we are making progress and we are headed in the right direction," Fain said.
He said the strike is working, but they are not there yet with the Big Three.
No new strike targets were announced on Friday.
General Motors released a statement following the announcement Friday.
“Negotiations remain ongoing, and we will continue to work towards finding solutions to address outstanding issues. Our goal remains to reach an agreement that rewards our employees and allows GM to be successful into the future.”
Stellantis also released a letter detailing their most recent proposal and saying in part:
"We continue to have good momentum at the bargaining table and have been working diligently with the UAW over the last week to build on that. We are making progress, but there are gaps that still need to be closed."
Friday afternoon, picketing came to a halt outside of Ford Motor Company's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne as workers listened to Fain give the update on contract talks.
"We didn’t want to strike, but they brought it to this point, so we’re here," Antoinette Howard said as she stood at one of the plant entrance points.
Howard says she wishes Fain would have been harsher on automakers who she believes are dragging their feet on striking a deal.
"I kind of feel like he still should’ve shut some stuff down because it’s been 22 days and how much longer are you going to give them," Howard said.
Tiffany Harris was also on the picket line Friday afternoon. She says she has worked for Ford for 24 years as a hi-lo driver and is now fighting for better wages for the next generation.
"I have a daughter that works here and she’s not even making enough. I’m helping her pay her bills, my bills too and I just want everybody to have equal pay. We all do equal work," Harris said as she stood with a picket sign in hand. "People already not making enough money and this is not helping at all, but I guess it will help in the long run."
While some workers were disappointed there was no deal, others say they were excited to hear there was a lot of progress.
"Just glad to hear the news that we got today. It seems like they’re making a lot of progress and I think this thing is going to get settled real soon," said Thomas Howard, who has worked for Ford for 12 years. "We’re not out here to shut down the nation or shut down an industry. We just want to be treated fairly. An equal days pay for an equal days work."
The initial deadline for a new contract was 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14. After the contract expired, workers walked out at three plants: GM Wentzville Assembly in Missouri, Stellantis Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio and the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant, final assembly and paint only.
Later, on Sept. 22, Fain called on all parts distribution centers for General Motors and Stellantis to additionally go on strike as part of the union’s “Stand Up Strike” strategy, where they strike but at a limited number of targeted locations. The method is in an effort, Fain said, to keep the automakers guessing and give the union the upper hand in negotiations.
Most recently, Fain called on Ford’s Chicago Assembly and GM’s Lansing Delta Township Assembly to strike, bringing the number of the union’s striking workers to around 25,000.
The UAW wants double-digit pay increases, the end of the tiered wage system, better healthcare, a 32-hour work week and more.
The UAW had well over $800 million in the strike fund at the beginning of the strike, and many workers we spoke with during negotiations said they were willing to fight for what they wanted.
Auto analyst Dave Zoia from auto publication WardsAuto joined 7 Action News Friday evening to discuss the latest in the UAW's negotiations with the Big Three. You can watch the full interview in the video player below:
