[1/2]A UAW member pickets outside the Ford Michigan assembly plant in Wayne, Michigan, US on September 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dieu-Nalio Chery Obtaining licensing rights
Sept 24 (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co (FN) said on Sunday that despite progress in some areas, it still has “significant gaps to close” on key economic issues before it can reach a new labor agreement with a labor union. United Cars.
“The issues are interconnected and must be worked within a comprehensive agreement that supports our mutual success,” she said in a statement issued late in the evening after talks at the weekend.
The UAW, which on Friday indicated “real progress” in talks with the No. 2 U.S. automaker, did not immediately comment.
In contrast to Ford, the UAW has expanded strikes against General Motors (GM.N) and Chrysler parent Stellantis (STLAM.MI) to 38 parts distribution centers across the United States. It was not immediately clear whether key negotiations had taken place with GM and Stellantis over the weekend.
The UAW began unprecedented, simultaneous strikes on September 15 at one assembly plant each of its three Detroit plants after previous four-year labor agreements expired. Strikes at additional GM and Stellantis facilities on Friday added about 5,600 workers to the 12,700 workers previously on strike.
UAW President Sean Fine said Friday that Ford has improved its contract offer, including enhancing profit sharing and agreeing to let workers strike over plant closures, but he said the union still has serious issues to resolve.
The three Detroit automakers have proposed a 20% raise over 4 1/2 years, while the UAW is seeking a 40% increase along with a 32-hour work week, the return of defined benefit pensions and the elimination of pay gaps that separate new and veteran employees.
President Joe Biden will travel to Michigan on Tuesday to show support for workers and visit a UAW picket line, while Donald Trump, who is seeking a new term as president, will speak in Clinton Township, Michigan, on Wednesday about the UAW strike.
General Motors said last week that it had to idle its Kansas auto plant due to parts shortages caused by the strike, prompting it to furlough 2,000 workers in Kansas. Stellantis temporarily laid off 68 employees in Ohio last week and expects to furlough another 300 workers in Indiana due to the strike.
Reporting by David Shepardson. Edited by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Edwina Gibbs
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