UAW cites ‘productive’ talks on second day of auto worker strike

(NewsNation) — Negotiators for the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Ford had “reasonably productive discussions” toward a new contract, the union said on Saturday, while officials at Chrysler parent Stellantis said the UAW had rejected a plan to save jobs at an Illinois factory.

About 12,700 UAW workers remained on strike for a second day as part of a coordinated labor action targeting three U.S. assembly plants — one at each of the Detroit Three automakers.

Union negotiators and representatives of General Motors, Ford and Stellantis resumed talks on Saturday, a day after the UAW initiated the most ambitious U.S. industrial labor action in decades.

There was no sign of a breakthrough as of Saturday evening.

However, the UAW comment about the tenor of talks at Ford was more positive than the union’s characterization of progress ahead of the kickoff of the strikes.

The president of UAW on Saturday pushed back at Ford after the automaker announced they would temporarily lay off hundreds of workers, citing strike-related supply chain issues.

“Let’s be clear: if the Big Three decide to lay people off who aren’t on strike, that’s them trying to put the squeeze on our members to settle for less,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement.

Ford and GM announced temporary layoffs at two plants due to the strike. 600 Ford employees were told not to show up at the Wayne factory for work yesterday. GM said they’ll likely have to lay off around 2,000 employees next week at its Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, Kansas.

Fain said a small portion of workers will be on strike at a time, only giving hours notice to the automakers, in order to “keep the companies guessing.” The striking workers included about half the workforce at the Wayne, Mich., plant outside Detroit.

“As we have said all along, Ford has bet on the UAW more than any other company. We are committed to reaching an agreement with UAW that rewards our workers and allows Ford to invest in the future. We have to win together,” Mark Truby, Ford’s chief communications officer, said in a statement.

Democratic Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman joined picketing plant workers Saturday morning outside Ford’s facility in Wayne. He told striking auto workers that he drove from Pittsburgh to support the United Auto Workers union.

“Hold that line, @UAW ! On my way to join you now,” the Fetterman wrote on social media.

“We stand with workers,” Fetterman said.

At a protest in downtown Detroit on Friday, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders voiced his support for the union.

“Brothers and sisters, enough is enough,” he said.

It was a rallying cry echoed by the thousands of auto workers nationwide. Ones like Tory Rachel, a 16-year veteran of Ford, who scrapes by just to provide for his fiancé and kids.

“When you have to feed a family of six, can you describe to America what that’s like living on the salary they’re paying you? “It’s a struggle, every day to pay for food, your mortgage, your cable,” she said. “It’s a struggle every day. It’s paycheck to paycheck.”

As for Stellantis, they’ve said they’ve upped their pay offer to 20% over four years, but they’ve come under fire today after an exec said they would have re-opened a factory in Illinois, but only if a deal was reached before the strike. UAW’s president blasted the move, saying “that’s how they see these workers, as a bargaining chip.”

The automakers said the proposals work out to a cumulative 21% hike over the period, but they are still significantly below the 40% wage hike the UAW is demanding through 2027. The union’s wage demand includes a 20% immediate increase.

Mark Stewart, the North American chief operating officer for Stellantis, told reporters on Saturday the UAW rejected a proposal to keep an assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois open, noting that the company’s offer had been contingent on reaching an agreement before the contract expiration.

Stewart declined to offer specific details but added that Stellantis was still willing to talk about the facility’s future. He described the company’s latest offer as “very compelling.”

Stellantis also said it is offering more than $1 billion in retirement security improvements and other increases in benefits.

“This is not about greed,” he said, “This is about sharing success.”

The Hill and Reuters contributed to this report.