(NewsNation) — United Auto Workers (UAW) turned down a wage hike offer from Jeep parent company Stellantis, UAW’s president said Sunday.
UAW President Shawn Fain said the strike will continue after Stellantis offered a 21% wage hike proposal Saturday. Fain called the offer a “no-go.”
Fain said the union has asked for 40% pay increases.
“The reason we asked for 40% pay increases is because in the last four years alone, the CEO’s pay went up 40%. They’re already millionaires,” Fain told CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “It’s shameful that one of the leaders of the corporation is sitting in his second home in Acapulco while we’re bargaining, rather than being at the bargaining table.”
He continued: “We’re just asking for our fair share in this economy and the fruits of our labor.”
Workers at three major American automotive plants have been on strike after the UAW and autogiants Ford, Stellantis and General Motors did not reach an agreement last week. Employees are pushing for wage increases, cost-of-living pay raises, the termination of wage tiers at factories, a 32-hour work week, the restoration of traditional defined-benefit pensions for new hires and retiree pension increases.
About 12,700 UAW workers have remained on strike targeting three U.S. assembly plants.
The Hill contributed to this report.