Despite recent production and supply chain challenges, Curry stated that he expects to negotiate with a strong industry next year.
“Record profits have occurred,” he stated. “Volumes are expected to increase for all three OEMs later this year, and they will be available in the marketplace. I believe we’re going to be in an excellent position.”
Nonetheless, it is unknown whether Curry will engage in any negotiations at all.
Curry, the union’s third president in as many years, is serving out the remainder of Rory Gamble’s term, who resigned early. He will seek re-election later this year and may face a more difficult path to victory than his predecessors.
Union members voted last year to adopt a new election process known as one-member, one-vote, which will replace the delegate system, which effectively allowed caucus nominees to breeze to election with little opposition.
Whether he is re-elected or not, his leadership team will look very different than it does now.
The vice presidents in charge of General Motors and Stellantis intend to retire at the conclusion of their terms. Curry acknowledged that making wholesale changes to the union’s leadership team prior to contract negotiations would be “significant,” but noted that change occurs regardless of the contract cycle’s four-year duration.
Apart from the Detroit 3, Curry said he has had no discussions with Tesla Inc. about a possible union vote by workers at the electric carmaker’s California factory following CEO Elon Musk’s tweet inviting the UAW to “hold a union vote at their earliest convenience.”
Curry, on the other hand, stated that the union remained open to organising efforts and had sufficient resources available to do so. He also suggested Tesla could drop its appeal of a ruling by the United States National Labor Relations Board that the company violated US labour law and reinstate some fired employees.
“If they were interested in that type of exchange, that would be a good-faith effort,” Curry said.
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