Fetterman, Wild join UAW members on the picket line outside Mack Trucks

• U.S. Sen. John Fetterman and U.S. Rep. Susan Wild joined United Auto Workers on the picket line in Allentown and Lower Macungie Township on Tuesday
• About 2,300 members went on strike Monday after a potential deal with Mack Trucks fell through
• Union leaders said members are seeking larger raises and oppose 8.5-hour work days as called for under the rejected offer

LOWER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — Some of the Lehigh Valley's elected federal officials on Tuesday joined the picket line at Mack Trucks to throw their support to striking workers.

As United Auto Workers Local 677 workers entered their second day of the strike, they welcomed U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley.

The UAW rejected national and local proposals Monday, and it was unclear Tuesday when the union and Mack officials would return to the bargaining table.

The two politicians said it was important for them to appear at the picket line and show their support for working-class families.

Wild said local labor and Mack have generally had good relations over the years, and she hoped the two sides could quickly reach an agreement and return to making world-class vehicles.

But she made no bones about where she stood in the dispute.

"The backbone of Mack are the workers," she said. "The reason Mack puts out an entirely American-made product of such high quality that even the U.S. Defense Department wants it is because of the workers."

Fetterman was even less reserved in his support, loudly chanting, "Break their will! Break their will!" outside Mack's production facility.

While politicians often seek endorsements from organized labor, Fetterman insisted he was there to endorse the workers fighting for better wages and work conditions.

"The union way of life is sacred to me," he said. "It takes incredible courage to put your job on the line to walk the [picket] line."

Positives outweighed by other issues

The UAW Local 677 represents about 2,300 of the 2,700 employees at the Mack assembly plant in Lower Macungie, along with about 1,700 other workers in Maryland and Florida.

A tentative deal would have included a 19% pay raise over the five-year contract, secured the current insurance premiums and awarded workers a $3,500 bonus if ratified on the first vote.

However, the package was overwhelmingly rejected.

The Local's leaders acknowledged the agreement had some significant positives but said Tuesday they were outweighed by other issues.

Mike Schupp, Local 677 vice president, said it would have added a half-hour to the work day. While that wasn't a problem for some workers, members with young families would have had to dramatically change their daily schedules to make child care situations work, Shupp said.

Even changing shifts wouldn't have fixed the scenario for some workers, he said.

"They almost would have had to leave their jobs altogether just because of those changes," he said. "That wasn't a choice they could make, so they're fighting for an opportunity to actually continue working at Mack Trucks."

'A record contract'

Marc Trezza, one of the union's local negotiators, said many local members weren't satisfied with the financial package, either.

While a 19% raise over five years might cut it under normal circumstances, many workers worried that wasn't enough, given the high levels of inflation the past few years.

Others are looking for even larger returns to make up for what he characterized as a lack of financial gains over the past two decades.

"Even though some aspects of what we brought back were pretty good overall, people were looking at it as, 'Well, we've lost a lot over the past few contracts,'" Trezza said.

"The last four years have been rough. The economy hasn't gotten any better yet. We're going in a bad direction."

Mack Truck did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. A two-week strike in 2019 resulted in a four-year contract that expired Oct. 1.

In a release Monday, the company expressed disappointment the union had chosen to strike, noting UAW leaders had characterized the since-rejected deal as a "record contract."

"We are committed to the collective bargaining process, and remain confident that we will be able to arrive at an agreement that delivers competitive wages and benefits for our employees and their families, while safeguarding our future as a competitive company and stable long-term employer," Mack President Stephen Roy said in the release.