UAW strike update: What's next for Big 3 after Ford reaches tentative deal
DETROIT (FOX 2) - With a tentative deal now reached between Ford and the UAW, the focus turns to what happens next.
The union announced Wednesday that an agreement was reached. That deal includes a 25% wage increase for permanent employees, a 150% raise for temp workers, higher starting wages, and more.
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What's inside Ford's tentative deal
After about six weeks on strike, the UAW and Ford Motor Co. reached a tentative deal Wednesday night. It includes wage increases, pension improvements, increased top wages, and more.
"I think from a union standpoint, I think the employees should be really excited about it, really happy," Alan Amici, the CEO of the Center for Automotive Research. "I think they made great progress."
With that tentative deal, Ford workers are back on the job even though it hasn't been voted on yet.
"We are calling on all Ford strikers to go back to work while we vote on our tentative agreement," said UAW VP Chuck Browning.
The UAW National Ford Council is planning to meet on Sunday to vote on sending the agreement to union members for their vote.
If approved, a Facebook Live will be held to detail the tentative agreement to membership. After, UAW members will attend informational meetings about the contract and vote.
This move is to put the pressure on General Motors and Stellantis, who still have tens of thousands of employees on the picket line and thousands laid off as a consequence of the strike. The union already upped the pressure on GM and Stellantis earlier this week when it ordered members at two of the automakers' big moneymaking plants to join the strike.
"Like everything we’ve done in this Stand Up Strike, this is a strategic move to get the best deal possible," Browning said. "We’re going back to work at Ford to keep the pressure on Stellantis and GM; the last thing they want is for Ford to get back to full capacity while they mess around and lag behind."
Workers are optimistic that the other automakers will soon reach deals, too, ending the strike that has been ongoing for six weeks.
Auto experts say the future deals between the UAW and GM and Stellantis will most likely be similar to Ford's.