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The United Auto Workers said Saturday it had reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement with Fiat Chrysler parent company Stellantis that would provide for a wage increase and an end to a six-week strike.
The deal is a significant victory for the union and includes a 25 percent base wage increase by April 2028, cost of living increases and larger raises for entry-level and temporary workers. The terms are similar to those in Wednesday’s agreement with Ford Motors.
The UAW statement also said Stellantis would create 5,000 jobs and reopen the Belvidere assembly plant in Illinois, which was idle before the strike.
“We have once again achieved what was said to be impossible just a few weeks ago,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “With Stellantis in particular, we not only secured a record deal, but we also began to turn the tide in the war against the American working class.”
The agreement will not come into effect until union members agree to the terms.
Mark Stewart, chief operating officer of Stellantis North America, thanked the negotiating teams in a statement and said the company “looks forward to welcoming our 43,000 employees back to work and resuming operations to serve our customers and “To implement our strategic plan Dare Forward 2030 to ensure Stellantis’ position at the forefront of innovation.”
The deal makes General Motors the only Big Three automaker without a deal after nearly two months of strikes that have paralyzed Detroit and put more than 45,000 jobs at risk. The UAW said Saturday it had expanded its strike at GM to include a plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
Ford said Thursday that the strikes cost the company about $1.3 billion and produced 80,000 fewer cars and trucks. Separately, General Motors said the strike cost the company $800 million.
The UAW began negotiating with the three automakers in July and ultimately decided to go on strike in September. It was the first time in the union’s history that it struck against all three automakers at the same time.
The negotiations were tense, with major disagreements over electric vehicles and led by a new union leader, Fain. Fain appeared less conciliatory than previous heads of state and government and forewent a traditional handshake ceremony with the automobile managers at the beginning of the process.
Source : www.ft.com