TA 2026 v4 — Highlights & Summary | UAW Local 699 / Nexteer

All Articles (28)

✅ Gains (9)

⚠ Concerns (3)

⚡ Mixed (2)

🔍 Verify (4)

📋 Unchanged (10)

💵 Money 💰 Wages 📈 Emergency COLA 💹 Profit Sharing 🏥 ESTA + VR 📋 Attendance 🏆 Perfect Attendance 🩺 Healthcare 📊 Bottom Line

💵

Money Up Front — Bonus + Back Pay

GAIN

$3,000

Ratification Bonus
All active seniority employees

3/21/26

Wages backdated — back pay
lump sum at ratification

$3,000 bonus paid upon ratification — up from $2,500 in TA v3. Back pay covers the difference between your current rate and TA v4 rate for every hour worked since March 21, 2026.

💰

Wages — Identical to TA v3, Backdated to 3/21/2026

GAIN

Classification	Now (2021)	At Ratification	2027	2028	2029	2030
Production	$21.50	$24.00	$25.00	$25.50	$26.25	$27.00
Specialized	$22.75	$25.25	$26.25	$26.75	$27.50	$28.25
Semi-Skilled	$24.25	$26.75	$27.75	$28.25	$29.00	$29.75
TL Semi-Skilled	$24.75	$28.75	$29.75	$30.25	$31.00	$31.75
Trades	$38.00	$42.00	$43.25	$44.50	$45.50	$47.00
NH Start Rate	$17.00	$19.50	$20.09	$20.69	$21.31	$21.95
PT Production	$20.50	$27.00	$28.00	$28.50	$29.25	$30.00

⚠ US cumulative inflation 2021–2026 = 20.60% (BLS.gov). Wage numbers unchanged from TA v3. Contract expires December 20, 2030.

📈

Emergency COLA — New Inflation Protection Starting 2028

NEW IN v4

Wage adjustment when triggered

7.5%

CPI-W threshold to trigger

2028

Earliest eligible — April 1, 2028

1×

Times it would've paid in last 15 years (2022 only)

The honest take: This is the first COLA protection in four proposals — a genuine win. But the 7.5% threshold is set high. In the last 15 years, annual US inflation only exceeded it once (2022 at ~8%). Under normal conditions (2-4% inflation) this never pays. Think of it as a safety net for a crisis like 2022, not a regular annual adjustment. Doesn't compound into base wages.

💹

Profit Sharing — Up to $2,000/Year Based on Saginaw Site Performance

NEW IN v4

$1,000

Base payout — site OI hits threshold

$2,000

Enhanced — site OI exceeds threshold by 10%+

Tied to Saginaw site Operating Income — not global Nexteer. Paid annually by May 31. You must submit 2 Ideas in Motion suggestions to qualify — they don't need to be accepted, just submitted in the official system. Miss this and you get $0 regardless of how well the site performs. The OI threshold is set by the company annually and communicated to the union by April.

🏥

ESTA + VR — 72 Hours With 6-Minute Increment Flexibility

GAIN — SAME AS v3

💡 What is ESTA? Michigan's Earned Sick Time Act — paid sick time at your regular wage rate. Not unpaid leave. 72 hours front-loaded each January. 40 of those hours use the old VR rules (6-minute increments, 5 uses/year, no prior approval).

72 hrs

Front-loaded January 1

6 min

Increment for first 40 hrs (VR rules)

5×/yr

No-prior-approval uses

Exempt

From attendance points

📋

Attendance — 12-Point Discharge (Unchanged for Fourth Time)

CONCERN

18 pts

2021 CBA

12 pts

TA v4 — all 4 proposals same

Exempt

ESTA absences don't count

Never moved in four proposals. ESTA + VR provides strong protection for most members — but the threshold is still lower than the 2021 CBA.

🏆

Perfect Attendance — 16 Hours Per 6-Month Period (32 hrs/year)

GAIN — SAME AS v3

8 hrs

Per period in 2021 CBA (16 max/year)

16 hrs

Per period in TA v4 (32 max/year)

Award periods: September 1–February 28 and March 1–August 31. Choose additional vacation or straight pay. Pay is the default.

🩺

Healthcare — Legacy $0 Premiums Unchanged, Non-Legacy Pays Weekly (Effective 1/1/2027)

MIXED

Legacy Employees (hired before 5/24/2021) — $0 Premiums

Item	Current 2021	TA v4 (from 1/1/27)
Weekly Premium	$0	$0	✓ Same
Deductible self/family	$1,000/$2,000	$1,500/$3,000	↑ Worse
Coinsurance	80/20	90/10	✓ Better
Out-of-pocket max	$3,400/$6,800	$3,075/$6,150	✓ Better
ER copay	$150	$225	↑ Worse
PCP / Specialist	$20 / $40	$20 / $40	✓ Same
Generic Rx	$15	$20	↑ Worse
Preferred Rx	$30	$30	✓ Same

Non-Legacy Employees (hired after 5/24/2021) — Weekly Premiums

Coverage Tier	Weekly (2027)	Approx Annual
Self Only	$20.00/wk	~$1,040/yr
Self + Child(ren)	$25.00/wk	~$1,300/yr
Self + Spouse	$30.00/wk	~$1,560/yr
Self + Family	$35.00/wk	~$1,820/yr

Non-legacy premiums subject to 3% annual increase starting 1/1/2027. Non-legacy plan design has lower deductible ($1,000/$2,000) and better Rx copays than the legacy plan — better design but you pay the weekly premium.

📊 What Members Need to Decide

🏭 Site Context: Plant management stated the Saginaw site generates 27% of Nexteer's global revenue (~$1.24B) and 23% of company profit. Potential new customer contracts are pending — companies are watching the labor situation. TA v1 was rejected ~96%, TA v2 ~73%, TA v3 ~55% — the no votes are narrowing each round.

Arguments For

$3,000 upfront plus back pay from 3/21/2026
First COLA protection in four proposals
Profit sharing up to $2,000/year (site-specific)
VR flexibility restored — 6-min increments, 5 uses
Perfect attendance doubled to 32 hrs/year
Deferred holidays and OT voucher confirmed
Healthcare premiums stay $0 for legacy employees
New customer contracts waiting on labor stability

Arguments Against

12-point attendance — unchanged in all four proposals
Wages identical to TA v3 — end rates same since TA v2
COLA threshold (7.5%) rarely triggers in normal times
Profit sharing requires Ideas in Motion participation
Deductible up $500/$1,000 from 1/1/2027
ER copay up $75
No COLA that actually compounds into base wages
5-year lock-in through 2030

Member-prepared summary using the official TA v4 contract text. Not an official UAW or Nexteer document. Verify details with your committeeperson.