Neal E. Boudette, who covers the auto industry for The Times, discusses the historic deal and why it was such a big win for workers.
Workers approved the deals at GM, Ford, and Stellantis. The new contracts go further than many people thought possible.
There is unquestionably a new force undergirding the labor market: a new class consciousness. But leaving neoliberalism behind will require sustained collective action among millions of unorganized workers.
With its successful strike, UAW broke with decades of concessions, won on pay and workplace democracy, and launched a new national labor leader. There’s much more organizing to be done, but this is an unmitigated victory for the entire working class.
Recent union contract gains against a backdrop of decades of union decline, worsening wealth inequality and broken labor laws.
"One of our biggest goals coming out of this historic contract victory is to organize like we've never organized before," said United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain.
UAW President Shawn Fain announced a deal with Ford. The contract gains are substantial.
The auto industry negotiations UAW and Unifor are engaged in are distinct and complex. Ultimately, autoworkers in Canada and the US are fighting for the same things: fairness, job security, and respect after the sacrifices of the last brutal years.
Increased militancy after pandemic sacrifices and tighter labor market contributed to impressive contract deals in the last year.
In the early 1900s, Ford Motor Company commanded strong loyalty from Detroit’s black workers. But the United Auto Workers broke Ford’s stranglehold through patient organizing, cementing an alliance that would bear fruit for decades.
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