WARREN — Sunday afternoon at the UAW Region One Pavillion in Warren, UAW members sang, cheered, and gave speeches, rallying around each other as what's expected to be monumental contract negotiations approach.
UAW members chanted, "Record profits mean what? Record contracts."
With 25 days to go until the contracts expire, hundreds of auto workers showed up and multiple political figures.
We asked Kiada Shanklin, a team leader in the quality department at Stellantis' Detroit Assembly Complex, if her wage is adequate for the work she puts in.
She said, "No definitely not, it doesn’t even equate to what we miss out on with our families."
Shanklin told us that she makes top wage and still can't afford to make her bills, what's more she said sometimes she works 7 days a week.
Shanklin said as a mom, "It gives me mom guilt through the roof. Coming home and seeing my kids learn something new, or do something new, and I wasn’t even there to cheer them on through it... that hurts."
More paid time off to be with families and big wage increases are among the following 10 demands put out by UAW members ahead of their contract expirations.
UAW MEMBERS' DEMANDS:
ELIMINATE TIERS – It’s wrong to make any worker second class. The Teamsters ended tiers at UPS. We’re ending them at the Big Three.
BIG WAGE INCREASES – We’re demanding double-digit pay raises. Big Three CEOs saw their pay spike 40 percent on average over the last four years. We know our members are worth the same and more.
RESTORE COLA – Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) made sure the working class thrived for decades. It must be restored.
DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION FOR ALL WORKERS – All workers deserve the retirement security UAW members had for generations.
RE-ESTABLISH RETIREE MEDICAL BENEFITS – That’s just as essential as a solid pension.
RIGHT TO STRIKE OVER PLANT CLOSURES – The Big Three have closed 65 plants over the last 20 years. That’s devastated our hometowns. We must have the right to defend our communities.
WORKING FAMILY PROTECTION PROGRAM – This program keeps UAW members on the job and product in our plants. If companies try a shutdown, they’ll have to pay UAW members to do community-service work.
END ABUSE OF TEMP WORKERS – We are going to end the abuse of temps. Our fight at the Big Three is a fight for every worker.
MORE PAID TIME OFF TO BE WITH FAMILIES – Our members are working 60, 70, even 80 hours a week just to make ends meet. That’s not living. It’s barely surviving and it needs to stop.
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE RETIREE PAY – We owe our retirees everything. They built these companies and they built our union.
UAW President Shawn Fain told 7 Action News, "We gave them a preview of our demands so they know what the membership expects."
Fain spoke passionately Sunday about the fact that the Big Three made record profits last year.
In just the first six months of 2023 they made $21 billion in total profits, union workers believe their pay should be raised to reflect that.
"There’s no excuse at the end of this, if we get to the 14th and they haven’t delivered, then we gotta do what we gotta do," said Fain.
Recently the UAW has raised strike pay to $500 per week and has over $825 million in their strike fund.
