4,000 UAW Mack Trucks Workers Begin Striking At East Coast Plants

Approximately 4,000 United Auto Workers members at several Volvo-Owned Mack Trucks locations on the East Coast are heading to the picket lines at 0700 ET after a majority of members rejected a tentative agreement reached by the union and truck company last week.

UAW boss Shawn Fain sent a letter to Mack’s parent company, Volvo Trucks, that 73% of workers rejected the new labor deal that would’ve increased pay by 19%, giving members a $3,500 ratification bonus, enhanced retirement benefits, and more vacation time.

“As you are aware, UAW members and workers across the economy are mobilizing to demand their fair share,” Fain wrote.

He continued, “Over the last three months, we have met with Company representatives in an effort to address issues raised by our members. The Union remains open to exploring all options for reaching an agreement, but clearly, we are not there yet.”

Workers at Mack plants in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Florida will begin striking at 0700 ET. This will add thousands to the tens of thousands (25,000 members) striking at General Motors, Ford Motor, and Stellantis plants over a new labor contract.

Last week, UAW and Mack reached a tentative contract agreement on a five-year contract. Union members likely rejected the deal and wanted pay equivalent to what UAW members at Detroit’s Big Three demand, around 30% over the contract’s life.

Mack President Stephen Roy wrote in a statement he was “surprised and disappointed” about the strike. He said, “We clearly demonstrated our commitment to good faith bargaining by arriving at a tentative agreement that was endorsed by both the International UAW and the UAW Mack Truck Council.”

In other strikes, healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente walked out last week for three days, which ended on Saturday. There’s a risk of another strike brewing in Vegas of more than 50,000 hospitality workers.