The UAW’s Strike Wins Could Mark a Shift Toward a New Kind of Unionism
JacobinNov 02, 2023
The Facts
Workers at two of Ford’s plants in Kentucky have voted against a proposed four-and-a-half-year contract that sought to end the high-profile labor dispute between the American automaker and its United Auto Workers (UAW) union laborers.
The UAW Local 862 posted on its Facebook page that 55% of production workers voted against the ratification of the contract, while skilled trade workers — which include maintenance and construction employees — supported the contract at a rate of 69%.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
While the tentative agreement between Ford and the UAW may have some meaningful pay raises and benefits on the surface, the deal does not adequately compensate long-time employees for all sacrifices dating back to the 2008 financial crisis. Most of the pay increases only make up for the losses incurred by workers over the last 15 years and the agreement also fails to take care of Ford retirees. Ford needs to step up its offer to end the strike for good.
Pro-establishment narrative
Any Ford employee in Kentucky would be insanely unreasonable to reject the investment and benefits that come with the new UAW agreement. Employees will see a 25% increase in pay over the next four years and Ford will invest billions into the Louisville-area plants to continue growth. Ford is already taking major losses and labor cost increases as part of this deal, and meeting any further demands just isn’t possible.