PARMA, Ohio — Eddie Cruz is a Parma GM electrician who has been preparing for the current UAW strike against the "Big Three" automakers for the past couple of months.
Cruz told News 5 he would have rather wanted to avoid the strike and a new contract found, but said he and his family understand the need for a strike when talks don't get the job done.
“Oh, we’ve been preparing for a while, yes, this is kind of the way it is, I grew up in a UAW family," Cruz said. "With strikes, we know come contract time anything can happen.”
Cruz said he's hoping the strike will earn UAW members the pay increase they deserve after what he called many years of pay give-backs and benefit and pay increases that did not meet cost-of-living increases."
“Over the last couple of decades, we’ve given concessions, we’ve held back, even during the General Motors bankruptcy," Cruz said. “Yes, I think we’re moving in the right direction, I think it’s time to fight for jobs, and I think it’s time to fight for the working class in this country that has deteriorated."
UAW Local 1005 President Dan Schwartz told News 5 that living on strike pay of $500 per week won't be easy, but he said his local will continue outreach in newsletters, online and on social media to get members the resources they need to help cushion the financial burden.
“The first week might be okay, but if this thing goes two, three, or another 40 days like it did four years ago, we’re going to have to step up and support our members," Schwartz said. “Your prescription and medical are still included, but vision, dental and hearing you no longer while we're on strike.”
Schwartz believes the UAW fight for better wages, cost-of-living increases, and more could help pave the way for better wages for skilled labor across the country.
"This is a fight that we all are involved in whether you work for General Motors, work for Ford, or you work for Stellantis, or whether you work for a non-union company," Schwartz said. “We’re in this to fight for the working class; we’re in this to fight for what we deserve."
News 5 is committed to following through on this developing story.
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