United Auto Workers Reaches Tentative Deal With Mack Trucks

Facts

• The United Auto Workers (UAW) and Volvo Group-owned Mack Trucks agreed Sunday to a tentative deal that covers nearly 4K employees at the company just before the current contract was set to expire — narrowly averting a strike that would have added to work stoppages at plants run by the big three Detroit automakers.¹
• First announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, this temporary deal comes after the union stated that Mack employees had authorized almost unanimously a strike last month. The agreement must still be ratified by the UAW before being officially accepted.²
• While details of the agreement have not been immediately released, bargaining goals of the union that represents workers at five Mack Trucks facilities included increased wages as well as improved health care and pension benefits.³
• Mack Trucks, established in 1900 and bought by Volvo in 2000, is reportedly one of North America's largest manufacturers of medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks, engines, and transmissions, selling products to nearly 30 countries.⁴
• This development follows the second expansion of the UAW strike since it began on September 15, with 7K more workers at a General Motors plant in Lansing, Michigan, and a Ford plant in Chicago walking off the job on Friday. About 25K autoworkers in total are currently striking across the US.⁵
• The union is demanding a 36% raise in general pay over four years as well as other benefits — including a 32-hour work week with 40 hours of pay, defined-benefit pensions for workers hired since 2007, and a return of cost-of-living pay raises.⁶

Sources: ¹Forbes, ²Reuters, ³CNN, ⁴FOX News, ⁵CBS and ⁶Associated Press.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Daily caller. Democrats like to boast about how pro-union they are, but that unconditional support has empowered this all-too-powerful union to implement an economy-stifling strike. If Biden really had the workers’ well-being in mind his administration would have done more to prevent this walk-out that is going to crush the economy and, hopefully, his reelection chances.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by AlterNet. Republicans have stood by for decades while these companies’ profits and executive compensation have skyrocketed — far outpacing employee compensation and benefits. Pres. Biden and the Democrats are doing what they can to help the workers but the only ones to blame here are the exploitive companies and their GOP allies.

Predictions