UAW Doesn’t Expand Strike, But Suggests They Almost Shut Down GM’s Arlington Assembly

If that UAW would have gone on strike at Arlington Assembly, they would have stopped production of the Cadillac Escalade as nicely as the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban

The UAW strike continues to drag on, but the union decided not to ratchet up the stress this week.

Speaking on social media, UAW President Shawn Fain stated they have been “about to shut down GM’s largest money maker in Arlington, Texas.” This appears to be a reference to Arlington Assembly, which employs five,322 individuals and builds the common Cadillac Escalade and Escalade-V, Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, and GMC Yukon / Yukon XL.

Fain claimed GM “knew those members were ready to walk immediately” and “that threat provided a transformative win” as the automaker has agreed to place their battery manufacturing operate below the UAW’s national master agreement. As a outcome, US-produced batteries will apparently be constructed by union labor.

More: UAW Strike Expands To Hit Popular Ford And GM SUVs, Ford CEO Calls Move ‘Grossly Irresponsible’

UAW Doesn’t Expand Strike, But Suggests They Almost Shut Down GM’s Arlington Assembly

In a extended-winded speech, Fain stated “Our first wage proposal from the companies was a 9% raise from Ford. Now, three weeks into the strike, our top offer is 23% from the same company.” He added that “Both GM and Stellantis are behind Ford, at 20%,” but “we think they can catch up and then some.”

He went on to say Ford and Stellantis have agreed to reinstate expense-of-living adjustments, whilst temps are slated to acquire at least $20 per hour. Fain also claimed the strike is not for “theatrics,” in spite of embarrassing messages indicating officials wanted to trigger “operational chaos” and preserve automakers “wounded for months.”

The Big Three didn’t have a lot to say about the newest developments, but GM released a brief statement noting “Negotiations remain ongoing, and we will continue to work toward 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.”

Those sentiments have been echoed by Stellantis, which stated “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.”

The automaker also noted their newest proposal consists of an quick ten% wage improve for most staff upon contract ratification as nicely as “significant wage increases of 21.4% when compounded through 2027 for all full-time hourly employees.” The firm added the proposal consists of an extra $1 billion in retirement funding as nicely as a commitment to “invest billions in the U.S. to provide job security.”