Union President Shawn Fain will update members Friday on bargaining toward bringing to an end the nearly 3-week-old strikes against the companies.UAW union members strike outside the Chrysler Toledo Assembly Plant in Toledo, Ohio on Oct. 3, 2023.DETROIT — Meaningful progress has been made in negotiations between the striking United Auto Workers union and Detroit's three auto companies, according to a person with direct knowledge of the talks.
But the report of progress raises the possibility that the union may decide not to expand its walkouts at one or more of the companies. The union has so far limited the strike to about 25,000 workers at five vehicle assembly plants and 38 parts warehouses. Fain has announced Ford said Tuesday that it increased its offer to the union on Monday night, but provisions made public by the company were close to previous offers.
So far the union has avoided strikes at large pickup truck and SUV factories, vehicles that are responsible for much of the automakers' profits. It also wants to represent workers at 10 joint venture electric vehicle battery factories in the U.S. that have been proposed by the companies.