The United Auto Workers on Tuesday increased its weekly strike allowance for members to $400 per week from $275.
The move by the UAW's International Executive Board comes ahead of the Detroit-based union's constitutional convention next month in Detroit and its first direct election of international officers starting in October. Bargaining with the Detroit Three automakers will kick off next year following a surge in union activity amid a competitive labor market and increasing inflation.
The UAW also eliminated a provision that a member receiving unemployment benefits, the maximum of which in Michigan is $362 per week, cannot also receive strike pay. Eligibility for the stipend still will begin on the eighth day of a strike.
"UAW members who strike are fighting to hold their employers accountable," UAW President Ray Curry said in a statement. "Our striking members and their families deserve our solidarity, and this increased benefit will help them hold the line."
