A former industry executive criticized a tentative agreement reached by the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Ford earlier this week, accusing the union of not taking the automaker into account.
“First of all, this is unlike any other labor negotiation,” Bob Lutz, who has worked for all three of the “Big Three” automakers facing strikes, said Sunday on WABC's 770 a.m. He told host John Catsimatidis on “The Cats Roundtable.'' “This was a gun to the head from the union, a government-sanctioned monopoly.”
“And in the past, the UAW has always been pragmatic and respectful of the needs of auto companies to remain competitive,” he continued. “We didn't do that this time. I think a lot of what we had to give back was exactly the same thing that caused the American auto industry to go into such a crisis in 2008.”
The UAW and Ford have reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement after more than six weeks of strikes across the United States.
The four-year contract is expected to increase wages by 25% over the term, with 11% in the first year. Due to the rising cost of living, his salary increase could rise to 33%.
“Today, we reached a tentative agreement with Ford,” UAW President Sean Fein said in a video message Wednesday. “We've been saying for months that record profits meant record contracts. And, UAW family, our stand-up strike has paid off.”
Stellantis, another member of the “Big Three,” offered on Saturday to match the agreement between Ford and the UAW. All eyes are now on whether General Motors will reach an agreement with the union.
The Associated Press reported Friday that had GM and Stellantis not reached an agreement, Mr. Fein would have continued to add plants to the strike.
The UAW has been on strike at three Ford facilities since mid-September after the workers' contracts ended, sending more than 16,000 Ford employees to picket lines.
The union demanded higher wages, shorter work weeks, union representation for battery factory workers and better retirement benefits, including restoring pensions to new employees.
More than 45,000 of the approximately 150,000 union members are on strike across the country.
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