UAW chief boosts workers’ strike pay, warns automakers over closings

The president of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union on Monday said that the group would raise weekly strike pay in an unsubtle warning to automakers over plant closings, according to The Associated Press.

Gary Jones told delegates in Detroit that UAW would raise weekly strike pay from $200 to $250 per week this month and $275 in January of next year.

The president said he doesn’t expect strikes, but that they are on the table if contract negotiations with General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler don’t go as planned. The union’s four-year contracts with all three expire on Sept. 15.

{mosads}The warning seems to be particularly targeting GM.

The company announced last November that it was planning to cut 15 percent of its workforce and would shut the doors at four American factories.

UAW has sued GM over the planned closures, saying idling plants would violate their contract with workers.

Jones has promised to fight the closures during contract negotiations, according to AP.

Jones told delegates Monday that the union’s strike fund now has over $721 million saved up.

“We are solid heading into the next four years of bargaining,” Jones said in his speech. “And this extra security for UAW families carries us to the bargaining table united in our goals.”

GM has said they will not decide on the future of their American plants until after contract negotiations.