WENTZVILLE, Mo. — The United Auto Workers Union announced the General Motors Assembly plant in Wentzville was one of three factories to go on strike overnight Thursday after a contract was not reached by union officials negotiating with Big 3 automakers in Detroit.
UAW International President Shawn Fain called on one plant in three states -- Missouri, Ohio and Michigan -- to strike Thursday night, one hour before the contract deadline.
Wentzville Local 2250 was named and was prepared.
Union workers started showing up at their union hall Thursday night just after the announcement to prepare to form a picket line.
Dimitri Terrell has worked at the Wentzville plant for 12 years.
“We’re trying to get the demands we put forward,” Terrell said. “Hopefully, they will hear us - all the Big 3 - and hopefully, we’ll have a profitable outcome. I did this four years ago, and people start getting tired after weeks go on, but I think if we stick together, hopefully we can make this happen.”
Terrell was asked about the issues he and his nearly 4,000 UAW Local 2250 members are striking over.
“Cost of living is a big one,” he said. “Also, ending our different tiers and making everyone equal and even. Those are a couple big things we’re talking about, and also, raises for everyone.”
The Mayor of Wentzville Nick Guccione said strikes affect more than just the employees and their families.
"There are sub-suppliers that it will affect. And so it's a kind of a domino effect if you will. And so if this also impacts local businesses. Other business falls off or they lay off people, as well. So long term, we don't know the impact. But like I said, I'm hopeful that we can avoid severe impacts to the community," Guccione said.
Duke's BBQ Shack in Wentzville sees hundreds of GM workers every week and said it will support its community, strike or no strike.
"We did a lot where we took water to the different strike points, we did some food for some of the people. And, you know, we would do that again," Dukes Owner Peter Venezia said.
General Motors put an offer on the table Thursday.
Here are a few things in their offer:
- A 20% wage increase over the life of the agreement
- Inflation protection
- Job security
- More paid time off
"This is a historic offer, best in the 115-year history of General Motors, a bargaining placing more than 75% of our team members amongst the top 15% earners in the U.S," Gerald Johnson with General Motors said.
When a strike happens, the nearly 4,000 UAW Local 2250 members have a list of things to do. They include third shift shutting equipment down, setting up pickets at plant gates and assembling kitchen duty to help process food for members' families.
At the GM Wentzville Assembly Center, a replica of the Gateway Arch marks the Detroit automaker’s connection to the St. Louis area workforce. The name of the labor union’s local — 2250 — is posted right on the sign front and center. But any good vibes there are quickly going the way of previous years’ makes and models.
Local 2250 members said they were trying to recover some of the contract concessions the union made more than 15 years ago when GM was facing bankruptcy. Local 2250 employees said GM Wentzville employees make $16 to $32 an hour.
It’s what lower-tier members are going to bat for.
UAW Local 2250 President Katie Deatherage said Tuesday, “We want them to remain profitable because we want to keep our jobs. We just want a piece of it. We want our fair share. We’re going back to the things we gave up, voluntarily, gave them their concessions to become profitable. And they are more than profitable. The Big 3 have been very profitable over the last decade, we’ll say, and we have not gotten our fair share of that in our last few contracts.”
General Motors officials said in an earlier statement in part, "Our goal remains the same – to achieve an agreement that rewards our team members while allowing us to pursue our growth strategy through continued investment in our U.S. manufacturing operations and American jobs."
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