Nissan Motor Co. gave its 9,000 factory employees in the U. S. a 10% raise in January and scrapped a tiered wage structure, the last non-union automaker to raise wages after the United Auto Workers won record contracts with Detroit automakers.
Nissan’s wage increase follows moves made through Toyota Motor Corp. , Honda Motor Co. , Hyundai Motor[/hotlink] Co. Nissan told staff on Monday that the increase will take effect on Jan. 8, when all staff at its U. S. factory will be in full swing. UU. se will move to the higher pay rate, ending the practice of underpaying new staff.
“These adjustments are anchored in our current strategy to attract and retain industry capacity,” Nissan spokesman Brian Brockman said in a statement.
Nissan also offers eight weeks of paid parental leave, more than the two weeks the UAW got in its new contracts. And the company already proposes June 16 as a paid holiday.
Nissan and other non-union automakers have taken temporary steps to increase wages and benefits for staff as the UAW aims to get its U. S. plants unionized. On its Facebook page, the UAW recently informed staff at Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Subaru, Tesla Inc. . , BMW, Mercedes, Mazda, Volkswagen AG and Rivian Automotive Inc. that “there is a better life. It’s up to you to take action. Join our motion and register with the UAW.
On Monday, the UAW officially ratified the last of the contracts with Detroit’s Big Three automakers. In a statement, President Joe Biden congratulated the UAW, noting that many U. S. plants of Asian automakers have also seen significant wage increases. “These contracts show that when unions succeed, everything gets better,” he said.
The UAW won a 25% wage increase and a maximum rate of $42 an hour on contracts that have just been ratified by about 146,000 employees at General Motors Co. , Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis N. V. , and the eight-month agreements also restore cost-of-living differentials that increase the overall reimbursement to 33%.