GREENSBORO, N.C. — Mack Trucks and the United Autoworkers (UAW) are still at odds, and the strike continues over a labor dispute.
In an Oct. 26 news release, Mack Trucks officials said that they were able to reach “tentative agreements … on the four local agreements that were not ratified by UAW members on Oct. 8. However, UAW leadership’s economic demands at the master contract level continue to be unrealistic.”
Union workers at Mack Trucks went on strike Monday, Oct. 9, after voting down a tentative five-year contract agreement that negotiators had reached with the company.
“Despite the not-so-confident agreement between Mack and UAW, Mack still stands by the hesitant agreement on the economic terms from Oct. 1 with the union, in which UAW’s leadership backed and called a ‘record’ contract for the heavy truck industry,” a Mack news release stated.
According to that release, the terms of the tentative agreement include:
- The average wage increase over five years would be 36%, with an average immediate wage increase for all covered employees of nearly 15%.
- For employees not yet at the top rate — which is nearly half of the workforce — the average increase over the same number of years would be 55%, and the average immediate wage increase would be more than 20%.
- Most employees already at the top rate would receive an immediate wage increase of 10% and up to 20% compounded over five years.
- Premiums for the company’s healthcare coverage — which have not seen an increase in more than six years despite the 66% increase in the company’s costs over the last 10 years — would remain unchanged once again for five more years.
“The companies are making billions, and they’re just not sharing it with the workforce,” said UAW 677 President Scott Wolf in a Facebook video.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
