The longest auto worker strike in the last three decades

The strike by auto industry workers has officially become the longest protest of its kind in the last 25 years in America.

Three years ago, workers went on strike for 40 days; the strike against General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis has now entered its 41st day. This is also the first time that workers from all three factories are striking at the same time, CNN reports.

For now, a tentative agreement that includes a record pay raise has been reached only with Ford, the BBC reports. 

The agreement needs to be approved by union leaders and union members. If the new contract receives approval from Ford workers, it would set the standard for talks at GM and Stellantis.

The agreement includes a 2.51% pay increase over the four-and-a-half-year contract, with an initial increase of 1.11%. The lowest-paid temporary workers would see their wages increase by more than 1.501% over that period.

Ford CEO and President Jim Farley said in a statement that they are „focused on restarting the Kentucky Truck Plant, Michigan Assembly Plant, and Chicago Assembly Plant, calling 20,000 Ford employees back to work and resuming full-line deliveries to customers.“.

The ratification process took 10 days in 2019. And in the past, the union remained on strike during the ratification process.

Following the announcement of the tentative agreement between Ford and the UAW, GM and Stellantis said they are working on tentative agreements with the union.

SOURCE: BUSINESS TELEGRAPH PHOTO: YOUTUBE SCREENSHOT