The United Auto Workers union has accused General Motors and Jeep-maker Stellantis of not bargaining in good faith, two weeks before the labor contracts with Detroit automakers are set to expire.
UAW President Shawn Fain said Thursday that the union has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board citing unfair labor practices by the two automakers.
GM and Stellantis didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fain's remarks, made in a livestream update to union members, continue his strategy of being more public in airing details of the auto negotiations, a departure from the tight-lipped style of previous union bosses.
"The Big Three have a simple playbook when it comes to bargaining that can be summed up in three words: delay, delay and delay," Fain said.
Fain is leading the union's negotiations for new four-year labor agreements for about 146,000 hourly workers at Ford Motor, GM and Stellantis. The current agreements expire on Sept. 14. If a deal isn't reached, Fain has said the union is prepared to go out on strike.
Ford is the only automaker that has submitted its formal response to the union's economic demands, Fain said.
The union has called for greater restrictions around the use of temporary workers, the return of cost-of-living adjustments, and the elimination of a grow-in period in which less experienced workers make lower wages.
According to Fain, Ford's current proposals don't come close to meeting the union's demands.
"Ford's wage proposals not only fail to meet our needs, it insults our very worth," Fain said.
Ford Chief Executive Jim Farley said in a statement Thursday night that the company's proposal is generous, and would allow it to remain competitive, invest in new products and share its successes with employees.
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