SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Auto workers at a GM facility in Memphis have remained on strike for a full month as they seek better pay and better job security across the country. They’re hopeful for a resolution soon, but they say they won’t give in until they get what they want.
“We’re out here fighting the fight, we’re trying to get what we deserve,” said striking auto worker Michael Davis. “Some of us are just barely surviving. Some of us are doing okay. But we need to get back to work as soon as possible.”
On Friday, UAW Local said they received a seventh offer from the automaker. It involved a three percent increase in wages and a cost-of-living adjustment. It’s some movement, but UAW 2406 President Jeff Thomas said it's not enough.
“They’re still kind of missing the mark. So, we're going to still be standing one day longer, one day stronger and attempt to try to get us the best possible agreement we can get,” Thomas said.
A similar strike in 2019 lasted 40 days. Thomas knows how tough it was then to keep morale high, but he thinks it will be worth it whenever that new contract is ratified.
“As long as you keep pushing, I think it gets better. They're going to claim that it's the best they can do. But every time they come back to the table, it's a little better. So obviously, it's not the best they can do,” he said.
UAW 2406 is hosting a rally on Sunday at Overton Park with other striking workers from 4 to 7 p.m.
“It’s very discouraging. We are worried because we don’t know how long we have to be out here. We don’t want to be out here, but we have to,” Davis said.