Auto industry braces for Friday UAW announcement marking third week of strike

WAYNE, Mich. (FOX 2) - Sources tell FOX 2 that more progress is being made in ongoing talks regarding pay issues, with the gap closing a bit.

For example, it appears that Ford Motor Company and the UAW have agreed to end Tiers. But they are still far apart on other issues. Friday will be a big day with UAW President Shawn Fain marking the third week of the strike with more plant announcement walk-outs.

The UAW for its part has been reportedly reducing wage increase demands from 46 percent to 36 percent and now, to 30 percent.

Fain brought some humor to his messaging on X, formerly Twitter, borrowing a screenshot from ABC’s The Bachelorette. It asks which of the Big Three will get the rose and be spared additional strikes come Friday in a 2 p.m. announcement.

"It’s solidarity no matter what," said Helal Sobh. "We’re one no matter what, at the end of the day."

Sobh works on the Bronco and Ranger models at Ford Michigan Assembly in Wayne. He weighed in on Ford’s latest offer.

"Twenty percent is the last thing I read. It’s not close to what we deserve and what we are asking for," he said.

Ford's latest offer also does away with Tiers - a key sticking point for the union.

"That’s a good breakthrough but there’s still more," he said. "I see that they are agreeing to the COLA adjustment and the increased wage for the TFTs. But also you still got people that have been here for a long time that still deserve that kind of money. "

In the meantime, the strike ripples continue.

The same day GM announced a sixth offer made to the union, the automaker confirmed cuts to software positions, impacting nearly 180 workers. And on Wednesday, Ford laid off 400 workers in a move they blame on the strike.

That makes more than 3,500 Big Three workers laid off in total so far, with more than 25,000 on strike.

More: UAW strike could double layoffs at automotive suppliers by mid-October

"If you look at the offers or at least what’s publicly available, it does appear that there are gaps being closed," said Alan Amici. "And they’re converging, which is very encouraging."

Amici leads the Center for Automotive Research. He says there are reasons to be hopeful when it comes to the progress made, but says the union can still cause a lot of damage to auto production, if they decide to, on Friday.

"The union has been surgical in which plants they’re striking," he said. "But there’s a lot of high-profit vehicles that are still out there. Like the pick-up trucks, for the most part, those plants have been spared, and other really high-volume sport utilities that have been spared so far. But further escalation, these companies are really going to feel it."