Exciting Update: Vote by UAW and Mack Trucks Workers on Game-Changing Deal!

DETROIT — This weekend, United Auto Workers (UAW) members employed by Mack Trucks, a company owned by Volvo Group, will vote on a tentative agreement. However, the deal falls short of the union’s demands, which are currently being negotiated with Detroit automakers.

The vote on Sunday by approximately 3,900 union members will serve as a test to determine whether workers are willing to accept a lesser deal. UAW President Shawn Fain has set high expectations for hourly pay increases, equal pay for equal work, inflation protection, and potentially shorter work weeks.

While Mack Trucks is a separate company from the Detroit automakers, some workers were hoping to receive similar increases and benefits. However, feedback from workers suggests that the tentative agreement is not meeting their expectations.

A 12-year Mack Truck worker from the company’s Lehigh Valley Operations in Pennsylvania expressed their disappointment, stating, “In my opinion, the master contract is not horrid. It’s not a bad contract, but it’s nowhere near what we were expecting.”

Several UAW members with Mack Trucks plan to vote against the deal, citing reasons such as the agreement not meeting expectations, the longer duration of the contract compared to previous ones, and the inadequate pay increases and bonuses in light of inflation and the challenges faced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Mack Trucks tentative agreement includes a roughly 19% wage increase over the five-year deal, a $3,500 ratification bonus, increased 401(k) company payments, and other benefits for many workers. However, it does not fulfill the union’s demands for the elimination of wage tiers, the reinstatement of traditional pensions, cost-of-living adjustments to combat inflation, or shorter work weeks.

Compared to the negotiations with the Detroit automakers, the Mack Trucks tentative agreement falls short of the 40% pay increase, inflation protection, work/life balance, and other bonuses and benefits set as the standard by UAW President Shawn Fain.

The tentative contract has not been publicly released by UAW or Mack Trucks. However, workers have expressed their dissatisfaction, describing the deal as “disgraceful” and an “insult” compared to their expectations and what is being negotiated with the Detroit automakers.

One worker stated, “We are low man on the totem pole, and we are getting no backing from international. They are just pushing this through so they don’t have to deal with us while the Big Three are negotiating.”

UAW declined to comment on the comparison between the contracts of Mack Trucks and the Detroit automakers. Mack Trucks President Stephen Roy stated that the tentative agreement will provide increased wages and first-class benefits for employees and their families while keeping the company competitive.

A veteran worker at Mack Truck’s Lehigh Valley Operations in Pennsylvania expressed their desire for negotiation options similar to those of the Detroit automakers, stating, “We pay dues just like the Big Three. We should get at least the same type of negotiation options.”

Some workers mentioned conducting target strikes to fight for additional wages and benefits, particularly aiming to reinstate cost-of-living adjustments to combat inflation.

Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University in Detroit specializing in labor issues, highlighted that Mack Trucks operates in a different industry segment compared to the Detroit automakers. However, he also acknowledged that high expectations from union members can be challenging to meet.

“The UAW can be a victim of its own success,” he said. “They get a good deal here and everybody’s going to say we want the same thing…but they operate in different industries or different segments of the larger industry that have different financial considerations, and I think that’s what you’re seeing here.”