Posts tagged Detroit
Dale Buss: UAW’s Deere gamble sends a warning to Detroit automakers
October 28, 2026 // What Fain didn’t tell the employees was that Deere’s offer was better than just about anything Fain got anywhere else. Earlier this year, Fain hailed the UAW’s first contract with Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga as a historic victory. Yet that agreement provides general wage increases of just 3% in 2027, 2028 and 2029 before a final 6% increase in 2030. Deere was offering its workers 4% raises in both 2026 and 2027, on top of a $3,000 bonus and the continuation of their existing pension, health-care and cost-of-living protections. Which raises the question: was Fain’s real motive in rejecting Deere’s generous offer Deere employees or his larger 2028 general strike plans? The existing Deere contract expires on October 31, 2027. The UAW’s contracts with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis expire just six months later, on April 30, 2028.
Granholm, not Republicans, put Detroit Schools under state control in 2009
October 28, 2026 // The Detroit school district incurred a $139.7 million operations deficit in 2007-08. By the end of 2008-09, that deficit grew to $218.9 million. Granholm appointed an emergency financial manager halfway through the 2008-09 school year, effectively placing the district in a form of state receivership. By the end of that fiscal year, the district's deficit had increased to $327.3 million. That was the responsibility of the locally-elected school board. There were two significant events in 2016. The state bailed out the school district and the state was sued by a group of Detroit Public Schools Community District students. Those Detroit students claimed they didn’t receive an education.
Member Apathy and College Students Give Fain a Second Term as UAW President
October 21, 2026 // While the results from the election are currently waiting for certification, Fain appears to have been reelected with about 68 percent of the vote in an election with an abysmally-low turnout rate of nine percent. Notably, Fain performed strongest in regions that have a lower number of union members working in actual auto plants. Fain’s strongest areas were UAW Region 9A, which generally represents university students and lawyers in the northeast, and UAW Region 6, which generally represents students at the University of California. Fain took 76.65 percent of the vote in Region 9A and 75.23 percent of the vote in Region 6.
Ballot Question 2 asks: Should public defenders have the right to unionize?
September 29, 2026 // Question 2 would allow employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, or CPCS, to participate in collective bargaining. If they negotiate a contract, CPCS would then be required to request the funding needed for that agreement from the governor within 30 days. The Yes On 2 campaign was organized to help grant public defenders the right to join a union. The campaign’s central argument states: CPCS employees should have the same opportunity to organize and negotiate collectively that many others have.
Second public defender union calls off strike
August 6, 2026 // The Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys – UAW Local 2325 union, which represents NDS staff, shared details of the temporary agreement with members on Tuesday. NDS also employs staff in Detroit and Texas, who were also on strike the past week.
Detroit automakers, union to negotiate amid EV pressures and tariff tensions
July 15, 2026 // As the automobile industry transitions to electric vehicles, various workforce challenges are set to arise. Apart from the obvious labor disruptions, the skills required to manufacture electric vehicles differ significantly from those needed for internal combustion engines. Additional training will be necessary for the workforce as automakers invest in new manufacturing technologies. The implications of these workforce-related disruptions will be deeply felt in labor negotiations between automakers and unions.
Detroit teachers’ union touts benefit, pay gains in ratified contract
June 29, 2026 // Multiple contracts now have raised teachers' pay, which in 2017 maxed out at $65,000 a year, she said. Now, the highest annual salary in the unit will be $100,100, a record, Wilson-Lumpkins said. The base salary for a new teacher with a bachelor's degree is also increasing from $55,000 to $57,400.
GM lays off more than 1,000 workers, adds 50 robots at flagship Detroit plant: ‘We’re disgusted’
June 24, 2026 // The automaker insists the cobots are not replacements to human workers and are actually necessary at the Detroit-Hamtramck electric-truck plant to stay competitive while improving “safety and ergonomics” for the workers, according to Crain’s Detroit Business and a company spokesman.
UAW members at American Axle ratify pending contract
June 16, 2026 // Members voted by 80% to ratify the new contract, the union said. The new contract, according to a Local 2093 chairperson, included paying workers $30 by 2030, no increase in healthcare premiums, more time off around Christmas, a $2,000 ratification bonus and the commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Veterans Day. Additionally, workers with at least one year of employment will receive nine additional vacation days per year.
Shawn Fain seeks reelection as UAW convention tackles major policy issues
June 15, 2026 // Key issues include: Increasing strike pay from $500 to $625 per week. Potentially reducing union dues from 2.5 hours of pay to 2 hours. Determining how aggressively to fund future organizing campaigns. Clarifying membership and retiree eligibility rules. Protecting the union’s direct election system. The convention comes as the UAW navigates the aftermath of a corruption scandal that sent two former presidents to prison and placed the union under federal oversight. Notably, court-appointed monitor Neil Barofsky has criticized Fain and other senior leaders over transparency and internal governance concerns, with another report expected soon.