As the United Auto Workers strike against the Big Three expands, Mack Trucks has avoided its own production shutdown by reaching a tentative agreement with its union workers.
The previous contract expired at Midnight on Oct. 1. According to UAW President Shawn Fain, "Our members at Mack voted by 98% to authorize a strike."
According to Mack, the five-year contract will benefit 3,900 workers across plants in three states—Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Florida—as well as the truck maker's customers. In 2019, about 3,500 UAW workers at six Mack Trucks manufacturing facilities walked out for less than two weeks before agreeing to a new four-year deal.
See also: UAW strike has echoes of recent UPS negotiations
Mack, owned by Sweden-based Volvo Group, makes medium- and heavy-duty trucks for over-the-road and vocational applications. They include the Class 8 Mack Anthem and Granite, and Mack MD Series (Classes 6 and 7). The Greensboro, North Carolina-based OEM also produces the zero-emission Mack LR Electric for refuse applications.
"The terms of this tentative agreement would deliver significantly increased wages and continue first-class benefits for Mack employees and their families," Mack President Stephen Roy stated in a release. "At the same time, it would allow the company to successfully compete in the market, and continue making the necessary investments in our people, plants, and products."
The next step is for UAW members to ratify the deal, once the union schedules a meeting.
During a Facebook Live on Sept. 29, Fain went on the offensive against Mack.
"Sadly, Mack Truck is following the same tired playbook as so many of our other employers," he said. "They're dragging out bargaining until the very last minute. The company took three weeks to respond to our economic demands and then they put a long list of concessions on the table."
Big Three, UAW still at odds
On the automotive side, the UAW is ratcheting up the pressure against Ford and General Motors leadership. On that same livestream, Fain also announced two more strikes at the automakers' assembly plants: Ford's in Chicago and GM's in Lansing, Michigan. About 7,000 workers will be impacted.
Once that happens, 25,000 UAW members will now be on strike. Previous strikes began on Sept. 15, with X plants and 38 parts centers involved.
Stellantis avoided UAW's ire by negotiating on cost-of-living raises and workers' right to strike.
