| On the 44th day of the Stand Up Strike, the UAW has reached a tentative agreement with Stellantis.
It is the second tentative agreement the union has reached in bargaining with the Big Three. Like the first agreement, with Ford, the Stellantis deal delivers on the union’s pledge that record profits mean record contracts.
“Once again, we have achieved what just weeks ago we were told was impossible,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “At Stellantis in particular, we have not only secured a record contract, we have begun to turn the tide in the war on the American working class. Going into these negotiations, the company wanted to cut 5,000 jobs across Stellantis. Our Stand Up Strike changed that equation. Not only did we not lose those 5,000 jobs, we turned it all the way around. By the end of this agreement, Stellantis will be adding 5,000 jobs. We truly are saving the American dream.”
“Through the power of our Stand Up Strike, we have saved Belvidere,” said UAW Vice President Rich Boyer. “Eight months ago, Stellantis idled Belvidere Assembly Plant, putting 1,200 of our members on the street. From the strength of our strike, we are bringing back those jobs and more. Stellantis is reopening the plant and the company will also be adding over a thousand jobs at a new battery plant in Belvidere.”
Like the Ford agreement, the Stellantis deal includes gains valued at more than four times the gains from the union’s 2019 contract. It provides more in base wage increases than Stellantis workers have received in the past 22 years.
The agreement grants 25% in base wage increases through April 2028, and will cumulatively raise the top wage by 33% compounded with estimated COLA to over $42 an hour. The starting wage will increase by 67% compounded with estimated COLA, to over $30 an hour. The lowest-paid workers at Stellantis, temporary workers, will see a raise of more than 165% over the life of the agreement. Some workers at Mopar will receive an immediate 76% increase upon ratification.
The agreement reinstates major benefits lost during the Great Recession, including Cost-of-Living Allowances and a three-year Wage Progression, as well as killing divisive wage tiers in the union. It improves retirement for current retirees, those workers with pensions, and those who have 401(k) plans. Like the Ford agreement, the Stellantis deal includes a right to strike over plant closures. It also includes a right to strike over product and investment commitments, a historic first for the union.
Stellantis workers will return to work while the agreement goes through the ratification process, with the UAW National Stellantis Council convening in Detroit to review the agreement.
The Stand Up Strike continues at GM, where members continue to fight for a fair agreement that honors the historic contributions and sacrifices of America’s autoworkers.
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