UAW Bargaining Strategies Department Releases Daimler Contract Case Study

In late 2023, the UAW created the new Department of Bargaining Strategies with the mission of building on the success of the Stand Up Strike by training and supporting staff and bargaining teams on how effectively use company research, run high-participation contract campaigns, and use more transparent approaches to bargaining so that we can win stronger contracts and raise standards across all the industries we represent.

Since bringing on two staff this spring, this department has already achieved significant successes. With support from our DBS staff, the workers at the only UAW-organized BMW parts depot just settled a historic agreement. BMW workers organized escalating actions—from rallies to parking lot meetings to practice pickets—and voted to authorize a strike with a 99% “yes” vote. In the end, they won a record agreement that ended two-tiers, raised wages by 33%, improved health and safety, attendance, and time off language, and had no concessions. 

Prior to BMW, the DBS staff partnered with the international staff from Region 8 and the Heavy Truck Department to implement the Big Three contract campaign model and win a record contract for the more than 7,300 UAW members across six locals at Daimler Truck. The historic Daimler agreement includes 25% wage increases, job security, and—for the first time ever—profit sharing and cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) while ending wage tiers that had divided workers for years.

To build on these successes and further share this new approach to bargaining, DBS has partnered with the Communications Department to put together this easy-to-read case study on how we successfully used the Big Three Stand Up model at Daimler Trucks, along with videos and example bargaining updates for everyone to see and use.

If your local has an upcoming negotiation and would like to talk about this approach to win record contracts, please feel free to reach out to your servicing rep about the new department.