DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – The new president of the United Auto Workers says the union will present a long list to General Motors, Ford and Stellantis when it delivers economic demands to the companies this week.

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Newly elected chief Shawn Fain says that the companies are making big profits and can afford to pay up. In a Facebook Live presentation Tuesday evening, he said “More often than not, they would be presented to the company by the president behind closed doors,” Fain said during the livestream. “Your elected national negotiators would be cut out of the conversation and cut out of the process. That was my experience as a national negotiator twice. I was incredibly frustrated to spend weeks bargaining with the company and subcommittees just to have the president’s office come in later and cut a backroom deal without us.”

Fain reiterated demands to end wage tiers among workers, and for double-digit pay raises and restoration of cost-of-living pay. The union also wants defined benefit pensions for all workers.
In addition, Fain says the UAW will ask that companies pay workers for doing community service or other work if their plants are closed, and he proposed a 32-hour work week.