Boost Our Bargaining Power with $625 Strike Pay
We win strong contracts when members aren’t forced to choose between paying the bills and holding the line. In the last few years, we have won major raises across many of our biggest employers. At the upcoming UAW Constitutional Convention, let’s bring strike pay up to date so we can stay united and win the fights to come.
How much is strike pay today?
The UAW Constitution mandates that “Weekly benefits shall be at least $400 (four hundred dollars) per week, per striking member” (Article 50 - Strikes, Section 10). However, since 2022, standard weekly strike benefits have been $500 at the discretion of the International Executive Board. Delegates at the 2022 Constitutional Convention also amended to Constitution to require that “strike benefits shall commence on the first day of the strike,” instead of beginning on the eighth day.
Why Increase Strike Pay?
Since the last strike pay increase in 2022, our contract gains with the Big 3 have raised top production worker pay by more than 25%, and other major contracts have achieved similar gains. To stay afloat while going without a paycheck, members need strike pay that keeps pace with rising wages and the higher cost of living.
Darin Gilley, a member of UAW Local 2250 and author of the constitutional amendment to raise strike pay to $625, recalls the union’s 2019 strike against General Motors, which lasted forty days. “By the third week, I started getting calls from members that were experiencing financial distress. By the fortieth and last day of the strike many members were telling me they were ready to support any agreement and get back to work.”
At the time, strike pay was just $275 per week — about 24% of top production pay at GM. During the Stand Up Strike, the new $500 weekly benefit was nearly 39% of top production pay. But as our negotiated raises continue to kick in, that same $500 benefit will fall closer to 30% of top production pay by 2028.
Strike pay is one crucial tool we have to strengthen our bargaining power. When employers know our members can withstand a strike without severe financial hardship, they are under greater pressure to come to the table and meet our demands. Higher strike benefits help us stay united and win stronger agreements.
What’s the Magic Number?
Delegates to the upcoming UAW Constitutional Convention will have the opportunity to pass a constitutional amendment to raise weekly strike pay from $500 to $625. This 25% increase would keep strike benefits in line with the gains we have won at the bargaining table.
Read the amendment to Fuel Stronger Strikes with $625 Strike Pay.
With this proposal, Gilley also accounted for the need to balance “provid[ing] an adequate amount to members on strike while also keeping the Strike and Defense Fund sustainable and strong.”
That question becomes especially important as we prepare for broader coordinated strike action in 2028. Paying $625 per week to 150,000 striking Big 3 workers would cost roughly $375 million per month, meaning even a strong strike fund would face real limits during a prolonged all-out strike
But keeping strike pay at $500 would not fundamentally change that equation. It would only stretch the fund two weeks further, while giving members less assistance throughout an eleven-week-long fight. Rather than choosing between adequate strike pay and a sustainable strike fund, we should develop strike strategies that maximize pressure on employers while preserving our resources.
The 2023 Stand Up Strike showed that targeted, escalating strikes can win major gains without draining the Strike and Defense Fund. If we are serious about coordinating larger actions in the years ahead, members will need both: a strong fund and strike benefits high enough to help us hold the line as long as it takes.
Preparing for the Fights Ahead
Preparing for larger coordinated bargaining battles in 2028 will require more than a healthy strike fund alone. One central demand shared across many shops in our union is the need to win real retirement security. In order to win back retiree healthcare and pensions for all workers, the UAW has called to align major contracts for 2028, when we negotiate next with the Big 3 and Daimler Truck. Now is the time to start planning for that moment by organizing strong contract campaigns and building public support for our demands.
Our resolution to Fight for Retirement Security Union-Wide in 2028 plans for coordinated bargaining and member mobilization in 2028, as well as expanding gains across suppliers and other sectors if we succeed at the Big 3 and Daimler. Read this resolution and our other prioritiesto strengthen democracy and fight for retirement security.
