"We just want a fair deal": Day 6 from the UAW picket line
WAYNE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - UAW members picketing outside the Ford Assembly Plant in Wayne are standing strong in their argument and want to make sure they get a fair deal.
The news of Ford avoiding a strike with Unifor in Canada could speed up the process here, but there are fundamental differences in what the U.S. and Canadian automakers are asking for.
"We need increase, and we gotta increase because that's the only way we'll be able to live," said Lamar, who is a UAW member on the picket line outside Ford Assembly Plant in Wayne.
CBS News Detroit spoke with UAW members Lamar, William and Scott on the picket line Wednesday. They asked for their last names to be withheld for job safety.
"We trust our president, Shawn Fain, and we know he is going to be good for us," said Scott. "They gotta take care of us, and they must own up to what he is asking."
Each day, new UAW members who work at the Ford Assembly Plant in Wayne picket for four hours. They'll do this once a week until an agreement is made.
UAW members say something is going to have to give soon, and they feel like they have the upper hand.
"It's just our time to finally get what we deserve, and I think what better way to go about than this," said Scott. "This is going to change the whole dynamics for the future, for the positive, so I am all for it."
Since Unifor struck a tentative deal with Ford in Canada, employees in Detroit said this could be a good or a bad sign, especially since details have not yet been released of what is inside the agreement.
"As far as the Unifor deal in Canada, I don't really know too much about how much that plays a part with us. But I know as Ford employees, we work really hard, and we are just trying to get what we deserve," said Lamar.
"We just want a fair deal and something that'll take care of our families, not just today but in the future. We need to grow and want to be good," added Scott. This used to be the choice of job. This was the job you wanted to have, one of the Big Three. You were set for life, and now you can't live."
The attitudes are much of the same on the picket line, and with a home base right across the street at UAW Local 900, those on the picket line have the time to fight for what they believe is right.
