Is this a case of you can’t make everybody happy or real problems with ratifying the tentative agreement with General Motors? Right now, it appears to be the former.
Workers at UAW Local 659 in Flint on the production side of Flint Engine said no to the deal with GM; 48% said yes, and 52% said no. However, if you look at the other units under Local 659, it sailed through.
It is an outlier, as of right now, but there has been criticism online from some UAW members, and not just about GM. Stellantis UAW VP Rich Boyer addressed his membership Tuesday (Nov. 7), clarifying that he’s heard some of the grousing.
“Everybody thinks we took the first offer on the table just to be clear with you there were 11 offers and 11 counteroffers in total 22 passes across the table before we got to this point,” said Boyer.
Boyer reiterated the decisions made in the deal and reiterated how pleased the bargaining team was with the landmark offer it secured. Still, some are unhappy the UAW couldn’t get the companies to budge on a return to pensions and a shorter work week.
UAW President Shawn Fain is set to address the membership on Wednesday. He meets with President Joe Biden on Thursday at the Stellantis Belvidere plant in Illinois, which the UAW managed to reopen under the tentative agreement.