Detroit Evening Report: UAW officials share details of tentative agreement with Ford

Officials with the United Auto Workers have outlined the specifics of a tentative contract agreement with Ford announced last week — similar to a deal reached with Stellantis just days after.

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The union began a work stoppage against all three Detroit automakers on Sept. 15, claiming workers were still suffering from concessions they made to help keep the car companies financially afloat during the Great Recession in the late 2000s.

Now, UAW Vice President Chuck Browning says the new deal with Ford includes cost of living adjustments, the chance to unionize workers at electric vehicle plants and significant pay raises.

“When we say this is a record contract, we mean it. UAW members at Ford will receive more in straight general wage increases over the next four-and-a-half years than we have over the last 22 years combined,” stated Browning.

Union workers at Ford must still ratify the deal.

State and local officials praised the news and hope the tentative contracts with Ford, Stellantis and now General Motors will be ratified soon.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she hopes workers are happy with the agreements.

“The next step is it’s the workers to ratify, so I’m hopeful that we can get to that point and get back to work making the best vehicles on the planet,” Whitmer said.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says the tentative agreements are good for both sides.

“GM, Ford and Stellantis are building supplier plants in Detroit at rates that I’ve never seen,” Duggan says. “It was really important to us they remain competitive, and I think they’ve got a solution that will work for the companies and definitely is better for the workers.”

WDET reporters Quinn Klinefelter and Russ McNamara contributed to this story.

Other headlines for Oct. 30, 2023:

• Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a unit to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated crimes. This comes after the Anti-Defamation League and the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported an increase in hate crimes.
• The city of Detroit launched a new online tool for Detroit homeowners to estimate what they would owe if property taxes were reduced under a proposed Land Value Tax Plan.
• Detroit’s Economic Development Corporation received more than $25,000 to develop a 4-acre park to create nature-based solutions for coastal disaster prevention.

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