CENTER LINE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Stellantis employees are examining the details of the tentative deal between the automaker and the United Auto Workers, which were released Thursday evening.
That includes John Jake Kincaid. Friday afternoon, he completed his first full week back to work at MOPAR, the Stellantis parts distributor, in Center Line. He has worked there for 27 years.
“Everybody was cheering. Everybody was happy to be back. The cold weather just had hit," he said.
For several weeks, workers sacrificed pay and comfort on the picket line.
Just last week, 7 Action News spoke to Kincaid when the UAW and Stellantis struck a tentative deal. At the time, he said he needed to see the specific details to know how to feel about it. Well, Kincaid got those details Thursday evening.
Friday he said, “Everybody’s pretty enthusiastic. We’re happy to get a wage increase for almost 10 years over the life of the contract. So, that’s a big step."
Kincaid said he’ll go from making $31 an hour to $42 an hour. He's satisfied the cost-of-living allowance (COLA) is restored. Also, employees will be eligible for a $1,000 attendance bonus for hours worked annually.
Additionally, he said newer workers are glad to reach top pay in three years instead of waiting eight years.
Auto expert Michael Strong, editor of Headlight.news said, “If you had told me at the beginning of the negotiations they got a 25% raise, I would have bet against that.”
He said he expects the Stellantis contract to be ratified by a margin of 3 to 1 at most facilities.
Strong said what stands out to him is the reopening of the Belvidere plant in Illinois and the plan to build midsize trucks there. Also, the contract calls for $19 billion in plant investments.
He said one peculiar byproduct of the Big Three strike is the non-unionized Toyota giving raises to its employees. Strong said UAW President Shawn Fain may use that to his advantage to organize non-union automakers to boost UAW membership.
“He basically called out Toyota employees and told them, ‘You’re welcome. This is your UAW bump. You got a raise this week because we fought for it,'" Strong said.
Kincaid said, “They see what the union is capable of doing now, and all those foreign companies and foreign automakers, the union’s coming.”
Strong notes there were particular things the UAW did not get in this contract, like the 32-hour week, which he said could be even more pertinent in the next contract negotiation four-and-a-half years from now.
