The UnitedAutoWorkers board voted on Saturday to bump up workers’strike payby $ 25 a week and allow them to take part-time jobs and still qualify for the benefit.
The decision comes as the UAW’s nationwide strike againstGeneral Motorsis a few days away from its one-month mark.
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Starting on Sunday, workers who perform picket duty will get $ 275 a week in strike pay. Strike pay was $ 250 a week and was already set to rise to $ 275 in 2020
“UAW members and their families are sacrificing for all of us,” union presidentGary Jonessaid in a statement. “We are all standing together for our future. This action reflect the UAW commitment and solidarity to all of our members and their families who are taking a courageous stand together to protect our middle-class way of life.”
A member of the United Auto Workers walks the picket line at the General Motors Romulus Powertrain plant in Romulus, Mich., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. (AP Photo / Paul Sancya)
The looser standards will also apply to UAW-represented Aramark janitorial employees who work at GM facilities and walked off the job a day before autoworkers did the same.
Previously, if workers performed outside work earning more than $ 250 a week, they forfeited the strike pay. Those workers still qualified for specified health care benefits available through the UAW Strike and Defense Fund.
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$ 250 a week comes to $ 6. 25 an hour, below the federal (minimum wageof $ 7. 25.
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