UAW strike grows by 4,000; now affects 29,000 workers

As of 7 a.m. Monday, there are 29,000 UAW members on strike, after 4,000 workers at Mack Trucks voted no Sunday on a tentative contract.

The no vote won the day Sunday, with 73% of the vote going against the current contract offer. In a letter to the HR director at Mack Trucks, UAW President Shawn Fain wrote that there’s a litany of issues left to be resolved in negotiations:

As you know many topics remain an issue including wage increases cost of living allowances, job security, wage progression, skilled trades, shift premium holiday schedules, work schedules, health and safety, seniority pension, 401K, health and prescription drug coverage and overtime.

The 4,000 workers at Mack Trucks will join the 25,000 UAW members who’ve joined the strike since Sept. 15. The “stand up strike,” as Fain has called it, has employed selective strikes, wherein members are called to “stand up” to strike, rather than taking all 150,000 UAW members out of work simultaneously.

The strike started at three facilities but has now expanded nationwide. UAW members who go on strike earn $500 per week in strike pay, paid out by the union.