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UAW members who build seats for Ford F-150 pickup trucks and Dodge RAM Trucks have ratified a new contract by ~80%, the UAW said today.
“UAW Local 400 members at Bridgewater Interiors are another example of workers in the IPS sector [Independent Parts Suppliers – AutoCrat.]*who are ready to stand up and win their fair share,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “They don’t treat IPS CEOs like second-class citizens. So why do they treat IPS workers that way? Whether you build axles or seats, the days of allowing IPS workers to be treated like second class citizens is ending.”
Prior to this new agreement, most workers at Bridgewater earned less than $21 per hour, with hundreds of others at under $26 per hour. The newly ratified contract raises the top rate by almost $10 per hour by May 2029 – a 36% raise in under three years. Workers also secured a cap on increases to their health care costs for the life of the agreement as well as more time off and a $2000 ratification bonus.
“UAW Local 400 members stood united,” said UAW Region 1 Director LaShawn English. “They told the company ‘$35 by 2030’ – and because they made their voices heard, they walk away with a contract that delivers on their demand.”
This was the second tentative agreement voted on by Local 400 members, who, in addition to rejecting a previous deal by 95%, voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if the company did not meet their demands.
“This is another example of workers in IPS plants fighting to recuperate years of underwhelming wages and benefits as they generate billions for a sector that supplies the auto industry, including the Big Three. Earlier in June, UAW members at American Axle in Three Rivers, MI ratified an agreement after walking out on strike for ten days,” the UAW said in a release.
“After voting down an initial deal by 95% and voting to authorize a strike, UAW Local 400 members sent a clear message to Bridgewater management: no contract, no seats,” said UAW Local 400 President Mark Hemphill. “And no seats mean no trucks for Ford and Stellantis – that’s power and leverage, and we put it to work.”
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About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Bridgewater Interiors Workers Ratify New UAW Contract
Click for more.
UAW members who build seats for Ford F-150 pickup trucks and Dodge RAM Trucks have ratified a new contract by ~80%, the UAW said today.
“UAW Local 400 members at Bridgewater Interiors are another example of workers in the IPS sector [Independent Parts Suppliers – AutoCrat.]*who are ready to stand up and win their fair share,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “They don’t treat IPS CEOs like second-class citizens. So why do they treat IPS workers that way? Whether you build axles or seats, the days of allowing IPS workers to be treated like second class citizens is ending.”
Prior to this new agreement, most workers at Bridgewater earned less than $21 per hour, with hundreds of others at under $26 per hour. The newly ratified contract raises the top rate by almost $10 per hour by May 2029 – a 36% raise in under three years. Workers also secured a cap on increases to their health care costs for the life of the agreement as well as more time off and a $2000 ratification bonus.
“UAW Local 400 members stood united,” said UAW Region 1 Director LaShawn English. “They told the company ‘$35 by 2030’ – and because they made their voices heard, they walk away with a contract that delivers on their demand.”
This was the second tentative agreement voted on by Local 400 members, who, in addition to rejecting a previous deal by 95%, voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if the company did not meet their demands.
“This is another example of workers in IPS plants fighting to recuperate years of underwhelming wages and benefits as they generate billions for a sector that supplies the auto industry, including the Big Three. Earlier in June, UAW members at American Axle in Three Rivers, MI ratified an agreement after walking out on strike for ten days,” the UAW said in a release.
“After voting down an initial deal by 95% and voting to authorize a strike, UAW Local 400 members sent a clear message to Bridgewater management: no contract, no seats,” said UAW Local 400 President Mark Hemphill. “And no seats mean no trucks for Ford and Stellantis – that’s power and leverage, and we put it to work.”
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.