I would like to first thank the members of Local 276 for letting me represent them as a Delegate to the 2023 Constitutional Bargaining Convention. This was a week that held a wealth of information and support for the upcoming negotiations with General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis.
The Constitutional Bargaining Convention is where the bargaining philosophy is established for the UAW as a whole; it sets the standard as to how all UAW contracts are to be bargained and how each goal is accomplished. The resolutions provide a blueprint as to how to approach each contract, regardless of the sector or the company that is being bargaining against. This is the backbone of how the UAW wins contracts. Members are the highest authority in the UAW and they determine what is in the philosophy and how the philosophy is both crafted and carried out, not only for contracts today but future contracts, as well.
Newly appointed President Shawn Fain they said he is ready to take the fight to the corporations and he has stated that he does not want to strike but he will get a contract. President Fain said there will be no more concessions and the end to tiered wages is on the horizon. This will not come easy, and our members need to be prepared and ready to fight. Recently John Deere, Caterpillar and Case New Holland all reached agreements with the UAW. Those agreements were not easy. Case New Holland was out on strike for nine months and some members lost a lot; but despite that, they stood strong and came away with a 15% wage increase as well as many other benefits.
We do not know at this time who will be the target for the next round of negotiations for the “big three,” but we must be prepared. Wages, Benefits, COLA, and the end to Temporary Workers are issues that are all on the table and need to be resolved.
I am advising all UAW members to start saving now for a possible work stoppage in the future. In 2019 we endured a strike that lasted six weeks. My fear is that if we must strike again, we may be out for months instead of weeks. Texas Trust will open an automatic payroll deduction account that will help you prepare for any upcoming work stoppage, for those interested.
In Solidarity,
Kenny Hines
Unit 1 (GM) Chairperson
KH/leaopeiu277aflcio
