Automakers are frustrated as the new deadline approaches

DETROIT – Tensions are rising and accusations are flying between Detroit automakers and the United Auto Workers, as the union threatens to expand strikes at U.S. factories – marking two weeks of work stoppages and a dwindling prospect of an imminent breakthrough.

The UAW is expected to announce additional strike goals at 10 a.m. EST on Friday, short of making significant progress in negotiations with General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis on contracts covering about 146,000 auto industry workers. A source familiar with the talks said UAW President Shawn Fain will host a Facebook Live event then to update members on the talks and identify locations for additional strikes.

In the run-up, frustrations remain over key economic demands and what some see as a lack of urgency by the union to reach a deal, according to people familiar with the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are private.

Specifically, GM and Stellantis have become increasingly frustrated with Fine’s lack of participation and what they say is a delay in receiving counterproposals from the union, the sources said.

The union has set a new deadline of Friday before any high-level meetings can be held between Finn and the companies, raising questions about the union’s commitment to reaching an agreement and ending the strikes, the union said. As of Wednesday’s announcement, the UAW also had not submitted counterproposals to the offers the automakers made about a week ago, the people said.

The union’s first high-level “head table” talks with Fain and the two automakers came only after Wednesday’s announcement, in a late-afternoon meeting the same day with GM, without CEO Mary Barra, and a midday meeting Thursday with GM. Sources told Stellantis.

The union confirmed Thursday afternoon that it had made a counteroffer to Stellantis during the meeting, giving the company less than 24 hours to respond before the new deadline.

The lack of urgency is further frustrating the company’s negotiators, many of whom are accustomed to bargaining around the clock to get a deal as soon as possible, the sources said. Such talks were few and far between as Fine attempted to negotiate with the three companies simultaneously, they said.

Fine has consistently said the union is available to negotiate 24/7, but automakers have widely questioned his availability and the union’s tactics, particularly in light of leaked private messages in which UAW Communications Director Jonah Foreman described keeping companies “hurt “For several months.” “

A UAW spokesman declined to comment on the strategy, including waiting for the union a week to respond and giving Stellantis less than 24 hours to respond.

Concerns about the pace of talks follow similar claims by Fein and the union. Before the September strikes began on August 15, Fine harshly criticized automakers for failing to submit counter-offers to the union’s proposals, which were first delivered to the companies in early August.

The three automakers say they have made big offers for the union. Deals on the table include hourly wage increases of about 20%, thousands of dollars in bonuses, and boosts to workers’ already large benefits packages. Ford, for its part, has offered to reinstate previous cost-of-living adjustments to compensate for inflation.

But the UAW has demanded more, including a 40% pay raise, an end to the “tier” system under which new employees spend several years working until full pay, a 32-hour workweek, and benefits including extra vacation and electricity insurance. Vehicles.

About 18,300 workers, or roughly 12.5% ​​of the UAW members covered by its contracts with Detroit automakers, are currently on strike.

In recent days, union members on picket lines have reported confrontations, intimidation with guns, hit-and-run incidents, and vandalism of vehicles and company property.

Five people suffered minor injuries when they were struck by a car that drove through a UAW picket line as they were leaving a General Motors parts facility in Flint, Michigan, on Wednesday. The vehicle was being driven by an outside contractor doing work for GM at the facility.

General Motors issued a statement saying that three contractors, including the driver, had been banned from entering its property. She urged other contractors and paid employees to follow established safety procedures when crossing the UAW picket line.

Separately, Stellantis issued a statement Thursday accusing the UAW of mischaracterizing other incidents that did not — contrary to Fain’s statements — involve replacement workers, or so-called “scabs.”

“Since the UAW expanded its strike to include our parts distribution centers last Friday, we have seen an escalation in dangerous, even violent, behavior by UAW picketers at many of those facilities, including cutting truck tires, jumping onto vehicles, and following people into their homes.” “. “And hurling racial slurs at dedicated Stellantis employees who cross the picket line to do their jobs,” the statement said.

The company said it has not hired any outside workers to replace the striking UAW members: “Only current employees who protect our business and third parties who conduct pickup and delivery operations as they normally do enter our facilities.”

The company called on Fain and other UAW leaders to help ensure the safety of all Stellantis employees, including those on the picket line.