U.A.W. Contract With Fiat Chrysler Would Give 2nd-Tier Workers Big Raise
From the New York Times, September 18, 2015
DETROIT — The proposed contract between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the United Automobile Workers union includes wage increases that significantly close the gap in pay between veteran workers and entry-level employees.
The tentative agreement, reached this week, calls for immediate wage increases for all of Fiat Chrysler’s 36,000 hourly workers in the United States, according to a summary distributed on Friday to union members by the U.A.W.
The four-year deal, which is subject to a vote by Fiat Chrysler workers, is particularly lucrative for the company’s large contingent of entry-level workers, who earn $16 to $19 an hour. Dennis Williams, the U.A.W. president, said he expects voting to begin next week and to take several days. If the contract is ratified, the entry-level pay scale will immediately increase to $17 to $24 an hour, based on seniority, and top out at $22 to $25 an hour in 2018.