One of the country’s largest and most powerful labor unions finalized its negotiations with the three largest Detroit automakers Wednesday. After a hard-fought bidding war between the United Auto Workers union and rank-and-file workers at Fiat Chrysler, this automaker became the last of three car makers to cap off an unprecedented round of negotiations that included a 40-day strike against General Motors and the resignation of the UAW’s president amid an ongoing federal corruption investigation as well as the closure of three automotive plants.
Fiat Chrysler’s approved four-year agreement, which went into the negotiation process over the weekend, is set to secure a total of $9 billion worth of investments involving 7,900 jobs as well as the same healthcare benefits for in-progress employees as are offered for veteran employees. This plan also ensures that Fiat Chrysler will see the biggest increase in labor costs due to its number of newer hires.
This finalized agreement comes at a precarious time for Fiat Chrysler, which was sued this month by larger rival GM, after accusing the automaker of racketeering stemming from a wide-ranging federal corruption probe.
Stay tuned to RacingJunk as the UAW continues its campaign against the biggest automakers all over the world.
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