DETROIT — UAW President Ray Curry stated restoring the cost-of-living adjustment for the Detroit 3 employees it represents shall be among the many union’s high priorities on this yr’s contract negotiations.

Curry, talking to reporters Monday at a Ford battery plant announcement, stated bringing again the automated COLA raises that the union gave up forward of the Nice Recession is without doubt one of the high requests from members in resolutions being despatched to the Worldwide Government Board because the UAW develops its bargaining priorities. UAW-represented John Deere employees have been capable of restore the COLA to their most up-to-date contract in late 2021 after a strike.

“We maintain listening to about it repeatedly,” Curry stated. “If we’re in inflationary occasions, it adjusts and makes positive [workers] have some kind of profit that strikes their base wage along side what’s taking place within the economic system. It may be a superb piece for us.”

Curry stated he would not consider Common Motors, Ford or Stellantis intend to shut any crops through the upcoming contract cycle and nonetheless hopes to barter a future for the Jeep plant in Belvidere, In poor health., which Stellantis plans to indefinitely idle on the finish of this month, earlier than formal talks start round Labor Day.

“We do not wish to see it change into one thing that is a part of the negotiations,” he stated. “We wish to see it as one thing that is owed to the group for a plant that was constructed again in ’65.”

Each GM and Ford have indicated they intend to ramp up cost-cutting efforts this yr, however Curry stated his bargaining groups intend to remind the automakers they’ve had extremely worthwhile years regardless of the coronavirus pandemic, microchip scarcity and different challenges.

“They nonetheless met the mark and elevated earnings,” he stated. “We consider the conversations could be good and deal with the true calls for our memberships are placing in.”

Curry, nonetheless, would possibly now not be answerable for the union by the point talks start. He faces a runoff election in his bid to be reelected as president that shall be determined within the coming weeks.

He stated he is “anticipating to proceed main the group.”

If Curry is reelected, he’ll have a divided government board with a lot of reform-minded members who managed to unseat veteran union leaders. Margaret Mock, the newly elected secretary-treasurer, is actively campaigning in opposition to Curry.

“Since I used to be sworn on this previous December, it has change into even clearer to me how essential it’s that we elect a brand new president,” Mock stated in a press release launched Monday by the marketing campaign of Curry’s challenger, Shawn Fain. “The president has the ultimate say over workers appointments. And let me let you know, the present management is wrongly placing all types of individuals in — and never based mostly on their {qualifications}.”

Curry on Monday stated he can nonetheless successfully work with a divided board.

“We wish to symbolize the membership no matter who’s sitting beside me within the board room,” he stated. “No matter what their political ideas is likely to be exterior that room, inside that room it is for the 1.1 million lively and retired members. That is our key purpose.”