The United Auto Workers’ main demands center on higher pay, shorter hours, more job security, and protections in the shift to electric vehicles, especially in contracts with the Big Three automakers (Ford, GM, Stellantis).

Quick Scoop: Core UAW Demands

  • Big wage increases : Around a 40–46% raise over a four‑year contract period was a headline demand in the 2023 Big Three talks, to claw back concessions and match record company profits and executive pay.
  • Shorter workweek : A 32‑hour, four‑day workweek at full‑time pay (essentially a big quality‑of‑life and job‑creation demand).
  • End to “tiers” : Eliminating multi‑tier wage and benefit systems so newer workers aren’t permanently stuck on worse pay and conditions than long‑timers doing the same job.
  • Restored COLA : Bringing back cost‑of‑living adjustments so wages automatically keep up with inflation instead of eroding between contracts.
  • Stronger job security & benefits:
    • Better pensions and retirement security.
    • Limits on use of temporary workers and precarious jobs.
    • Better health and safety protections.
  • “Just transition” for EVs : Binding guarantees that jobs in new electric‑vehicle and battery plants are unionized, with Big Three–level pay and benefits, so the EV shift doesn’t become a pay‑cut machine.
  • Profit‑sharing & fairness: Bigger and more reliable profit‑sharing or bonus structures so workers share more directly in record automaker profits.

How it fits 2025–2026 context

Recent UAW documents and conferences emphasize four broad “core issues” that will guide bargaining into 2028: wages, job security in changing industries (like EVs and research sectors), benefits, and workplace health and safety. These themes build on the high‑profile 2023 strike demands, but now extend into new contracts in parts suppliers, EV plants, and research facilities in 2026.

In short, when people online ask “what are UAW demands,” they’re usually talking about: big raises, shorter hours, no more tiers, strong COLA and benefits, and iron‑clad protections as the auto industry shifts to EVs.

TL;DR: UAW is pushing for more money, less time on the line, equal treatment across the workforce, and guarantees that the EV future doesn’t leave workers behind.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.