INDIANA – The United Auto Workers labor Union has filed an unfair labor practice charge against General Motors and Stellanitis amid stalled contract negotiations.
GM has refuted the charge and maintains that it is still negotiating in good faith.
The current labor contract is set to expire on September 14th.
UAW President Shawn Fain provided an update on contract negotiations between union representatives and leadership at the Big Three Detroit automakers, including GM. Fain says little progress has been made and is accusing automakers of using delay tactics saying GM and Stellanitis have “failed to give us any economic counters,” and calmed “willful refusal to bargain in good faith is not only insulting and counter-productive, it’s also illegal.”
“Unfortunately, many employers across the country are willing to break the law and incur the meager fines and penalties that result as just the cost of union busting,” Fain added.
GM Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing, Gerald Johnson responded to the charge with a statement published on a GM negotiation website.
“We are surprised by and strongly refute the NLRB charge filed by the International UAW. We believe it has no merit and is an insult to the bargaining committees. We have been hyper-focused on negotiating directly and in good faith with the UAW and are making progress. The pace of negotiations is based on how quickly both parties resolve nearly 1,000 UAW demands, including more than 90 presented this week. Our goal remains the same – to achieve an agreement without disruption that rewards our team members and protects the future of the entire GM team,” Johnson wrote.
Fain countered with the following statement: “You can’t make a quarter trillion dollars in North American profits over the last decade and expect us to keep aiming low and settling lower,” Fain said. “Our campaign slogan is simple: record profits mean record contracts.”
UAW members voted to authorize a strike if demands are not met by the September 14th deadline.
