Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
UAW members who work for Challenge Manufacturing—a parts supplier for General Motors and Stellantis vehicles—in Michigan secured a tentative agreement last week after weeks of stalled bargaining.
These workers play a vital role in the production of major vehicle models, including the Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee, GMC Hummer EV and Corvette. Despite their major contributions to Challenge Manufacturing’s success, the 400-person bargaining unit has been working under an expired contract since June and has dealt with bad-faith bargaining from management. But UAW members preserved and won a tentative agreement that includes powerful victories like wage increases up to $3 an hour, improvements to job security and greater union protections.
“Four weeks ago, the company called their offer ‘last, best, and final.’ It wasn’t good enough—and we fought back,” said James Gonzales, president of UAW Local 653, in a press release. “We stayed united, rejected their proposal, and organized non-stop to hold them accountable. That pressure stopped them in their tracks. Now, we have a tentative agreement with 80% higher wage increases than what was on the table a month ago. Because we stood together in solidarity, we have a much stronger contract to bring to our members.”