BUFFALO, N.Y. — The pressure is on for General Motors, with Ford and Stellantis reaching tentative deals with UAW leadership after six weeks of striking, now leaving GM as the only Big 3 company still without a deal.
The agreements, which were reached Wednesday for Ford and Saturday for Stellantis, are tentative, as they still need to be approved by union members.
Both manufacturers are offering similar contracts, guaranteeing a 25% raise over the next four and a half years, and reinstating cost of living allowances.
Meanwhile, more pressure is being added to GM leadership, on top of the already $800 million loss the strike has cost them. Overnight, 4,000 more workers in Spring Hill, Tennessee joined the picket line.
There are more than 3,500 General Motors employees at three plants in Western New York, including plants in Tonawanda and Lockport. UAW Region 9 Assistant Director Raymond Jensen Jr. spoke with 2 On Your Side and described the frustration among the members he represents.
“There's a lot of anxiety not knowing,” he said. “They see that the other two companies have tentative agreements, and a lot of them are probably saying, ‘What about us?’”
While there are no local plants under strike as of now, Jensen Jr. said they are ready and willing to do what is needed.
“Our membership, and I've said it from the beginning, is fired up and ready to go,” Jensen Jr. said. “We're willing to fight for as long as it takes to get a fair deal.”
2 On Your Side has also learned from UAW leadership that there is an agreement to invest $80 million into Ford’s Buffalo Stamping Plant in Hamburg.