UAW President Shawn Fain talks to picketing workers at Ford-owned Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan the night of September 14, 2023. (photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

Members of United Auto Workers walked off the job Monday morning at Mack Truck facilities in three states, after rejecting a tentative contract agreement with the company.

According to a statement from UAW, 73% of the 4,000 workers voted to reject the tentative agreement with Greensboro, N.C.-based Mack, which was reached shortly ahead of an Oct. 1 deadline. The Associated Press reported the contract would have included a 19% pay raise.

“I’m inspired to see UAW members at Mack Trucks holding out for a better deal, and ready to stand up and walk off the job to win it,” UAW president Shawn Fain said in a statement Monday. “The members have the final say, and it’s their solidarity and organization that will win a fair contract at Mack.”

Fain said in a letter to Mack company officials that there were several topics that remained at issue, including wage increases, cost of living allowances, job security, work schedules, health and safety, pensions, and overtime.

UAW Locals 171, 677, 1247, 2301, and 2420 in UAW Region 8 and Region 9 represent workers at Mack Trucks locations in Macungie and Middletown, Pennsylvania; Hagerstown and Baltimore, Maryland; and Jacksonville, Florida, the union said.