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UAW, Mack Trucks Avert Strike with New Labor Deal

October 2, 2023

United Auto Workers (UAW) president Shawn Fain signaled in a Facebook Live on Friday, Sept. 29, that union-represented members at Mack Trucks could soon walk off the job. But a strike was avoided when a tentative agreement was reached before their labor contract expired at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1.

Fain said the company took three weeks to respond to the union’s economic demands before coming back with a list of concessions. He made the comments during the FB Live announcing that the UAW was expanding its strike against two of the Big Three Detroit automakers. He commented that union workers were opting to strike across the entire vehicle supply chain.

However, Mack Trucks announced on Monday, Oct. 2, that a tentative agreement had been reached with the union. Mack Trucks is a Greensboro, N.C.-based truck manufacturer and transportation solutions provider.

The new, five-year contract will cover 3,900 employees at Mack facilities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Florida. UAW members must ratify the new labor agreement before it takes effect.

“The terms of this tentative agreement would deliver significantly increased wages and continue first-class benefits for Mack employees and their families,” said Mack president Stephen Roy in a statement.

“At the same time, it would allow the company to successfully compete in the market, and continue making the necessary investments in our people, plants and products,” he added.

Despite posting record profits in recent years, the Big Three automakers are concerned that meeting all of the UAW’s demands would not allow them to remain competitive. Among the member demands in this year’s negotiations are: the elimination of tiers, double-digit pay raises, a restoration of cost-of-living adjustments (COLA), defined benefit pensions, the re-establishment of retiree medical benefits, the right to strike over plant closures, working family protection program, more paid time off, and a significant increase in retiree pay.

As of noon on Friday, Sept. 29, 25,000 UAW workers were on strike, according to Fain’s FB Live announcement. At the Big Three, this includes:

Ford: Chicago and Michigan assembly plants
GM: Lansing (Michigan) Delta Township and Wentzville(Missouri) assembly plants
Stellantis: Toledo (Ohio) assembly complex
And 38 GM and Stellantis parts distribution centers in 20 states.

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. Since 2007, she has held various editorial and marketing positions with steel industry publications, associations, and mills. In 2021, after a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel trade journalism, joining SMU in 2022. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.