With a potential strike just days away, Stellantis has presented its offer to the UAW and has decided to make it public to be “transparent about what is currently on the table.”
The company says most UAW employees would receive wage increases in each year of the contract totaling 14.5%. They would also receive an “inflation protection” incentive that includes a one-time payment of $6,000 (£4,815 / €5,605) as well as an additional $4,500 (£3,611 / €4,204) over the final three years of the contract.
Those at the lower end of the totem pole would also see benefits as the starting wage for supplemental employees would jump from $15.78 (£12.67 / €14.74) an hour to $20 (£16.05 / €18.68) an hour. That’s an increase of $4.22 (£3.39 / €3.94) an hour and it means employees would be taking home an extra $33.76 (£27.10 / €31.54) per day.
More: UAW Membership Votes Overwhelmingly To Authorize Strike If Negotiations Fail
For “in-progression employees,” the time it takes to reach the top pay tier would be lowered from eight years to six. That’s a 25% improvement, but the UAW wants to eliminate pay tiers altogether.
Last but not least, all represented employees would receive Juneteenth off as a paid holiday. It became a federal holiday in 2021.
Stellantis North America COO Mark Stewart said it’s been a “really good week at the bargaining table” as they’ve “made tremendous progress on hundreds of issues at the subcommittee level.” He added, “Today’s offer includes significant wage increases in each year of the contract and, in percentage terms, this opening offer is larger than where we ultimately landed in 2019.”
That being said, the UAW has threatened to strike on September 14 and the union has an axe to grind with Stellantis as the automaker idled Belvidere Assembly earlier this year. When the decision was originally announced, union officials said they were “deeply angered” by the “unacceptable” move.
