THREE RIVERS, Mich. — After nearly two weeks on the picket line, members of UAW Local 2093 have approved a new contract with Dauch Corporation.
The agreement includes wage increases, additional paid time off and maintained health care benefits. Union leaders say workers, whose top pay was previously $22 an hour, are now on track to reach $30 an hour by 2030.
For Bob Fess, a 30-year union member and executive board guide with UAW Local 2093, the contract represents the payoff after years of sacrifices and negotiations.
"It feels good. We feel accomplished. We set out goals as a union, and we accomplished our goals, and we're thrilled to get back to work as soon as possible," Fess said.
Fess said he believes the agreement will benefit theThree Rivers community.
"I think the contract is going to be good for a lot of families. Young families are going to be able to start thriving now, and it's good for our community," he said.
Union leaders said workers made concessions during the Great Recession in 2008 and have spent years trying to recover lost ground on wages. Josh Jager, Bargaining Chairman for UAW Local 2093, said the new contract finally pushes workers beyond wage levels they had before those concessions.
"We are now just above where we were 18 years ago, but it's a huge victory for Three Rivers, and it's a huge victory for the labor movement coming across the country right now," Jager said.
Throughout the strike, workers maintained picket lines outside the plant while receiving donations and support from community members. Joe Taylor, Vice President of UAW Local 2093, said that support helped workers stay united during negotiations.
"When I went out there, the feel was absolutely phenomenal. The members were strong, they were sticking together. We had a common goal," Taylor said.
Taylor said the contract's impact will extend beyond the workplace.
"The wage gains were absolutely huge. Improvements to the retirement plan, the extra paid days off, the extra holidays, guaranteed profit sharing. Those are big-time items," Taylor said.
While the picket line is now empty, union leaders say the effects of the agreement will be felt for years to come.
"Walking in before we went out on strike, there was a heaviness in the air, and going in there now, there seems to be a happiness in the air. You can feel it. It's contagious," Jager said.
FOX 17 reached out to Dauch Corporation for comment on the contract ratification but had not received a response as of publication.
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