United Auto Workers members reached a tentative deal with Mack Trucks over the weekend, narrowly avoiding a new wave of strikes against the Volvo-owned automaker as the union continues to disrupt Detroit-Three operations.
The United Auto Workers union agreed to the new contract just before the Sunday night deadline. In a statement, Mack Trucks president Stephen Roy noted, “The terms of this tentative agreement would deliver significantly increased wages and continue first-class benefits for Mack employees and their families.” Although another strike is no longer likely, roughly 4,000 Mack Trucks employees must still review and ultimately approve the deal before the threat is fully dismissed.
Compared to other ongoing talks, negotiations with Mack Trucks executives seem to have progressed rapidly. The company announced it had reached a deal with United Auto Workers members as early as last Thursday, although it cautioned that more time was needed to solidify details. “While it is true that the parties are currently far apart on the economics,” it noted, “this is not unusual at this point in the negotiations, and we expect progress in the coming days.”
The new Mack Trucks agreement arrives as the UAW strike nears three weeks, whilst bitter contract negotiations between union and OEM leadership make seemingly little progress. United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain called on employees at two additional Ford and General Motors facilities to join the picket line just before the weekend. Detroit automakers are now facing strikes at 43 factories across the U.S. as industry supply chains and manufacturing begin to falter.
