TA v3 vs TA v4 — What Changed After the 55% No Vote

All Changes (10)

✅ Improved in v2 (5)

⚠ Same or Worse (2)

⚡ Minor Changes (3)

Improved in v4

Worse in v4

Minor Change

Removed

💡 How to read this page: Only items that actually changed between TA v3 and TA v4 are listed. Everything else — wages, ESTA, VR, attendance, healthcare, perfect attendance, deferred holidays, OT voucher — is identical in both proposals.

✅ Improved or Added in TA v4

💵

Article 23 — Ratification Bonus: $2,500 → $3,000

IMPROVED

TA v3

$2,500 ratification bonus

TA v4

$3,000 ratification bonus — +$500

$500 more upfront. Back pay from 3/21/2026 still applies on top of this. Wages are identical to TA v3.

📈

MOU 28 — Emergency COLA Added: 2% Adjustment if Inflation Exceeds 7.5%

NEW IN v4

TA v1, v2, v3

No COLA — wages fixed regardless of inflation

TA v4

Emergency COLA starting April 1, 2028 — 2% adjustment if CPI-W exceeds 7.5% year-over-year

This is what members have been asking for across all four TAs. It's finally here — but with significant guardrails.

The good: First COLA protection in this contract cycle. Tied to real inflation data (CPI-W from BLS.gov). Covers all eligible employees. The name in the contract — "Emergency COLA" — is accurate.

The limits: 7.5% threshold means it only triggers in a severe inflation year. In the last 15 years it would have paid out only once (2022). Does not compound into base wages. Resets to table rate each year. Maximum 2% even if inflation is 15%.

Current context: US inflation is 3.8% as of April 2026. You'd need it to roughly double before this pays anything. But if another 2022-style event happens, members are protected.

Annual Inflation — Does It Clear 7.5%? (Last 12 Years)

2015

0.1%

2016

1.3%

2017

2.1%

2018

2.4%

2019

1.8%

2020

1.2%

2021

4.7%

2022

8.0%

✓ Yes

2023

4.1%

2024

2.7%

2025

2.7%

2026*

3.8%

Source: BLS.gov. *2026 as of April. COLA not eligible until April 2028 at earliest.

💹

MOU 29 — Profit Sharing Added: Up to $2,000/Year Based on Saginaw Site Performance

NEW IN v4

TA v3

No profit sharing program

TA v4

Up to $2,000/year — Base $1,000 at OI threshold, Enhanced $2,000 at OI +10%

Tied to Saginaw site Operating Income specifically — not global Nexteer. The company shares audited financials used to calculate eligibility. Paid by May 31 annually.

Key catch: You must submit 2 Ideas in Motion suggestions per year to qualify. Doesn't matter if they're accepted — just submitted in the official system. Miss this and you get $0 regardless of site performance. Make sure you know how to submit them properly.

⚡ Identical in Both — Worth Noting

📋

Everything Else — Wages, ESTA, Attendance, Healthcare, Perfect Attendance All Identical

UNCHANGED

The following are completely identical between TA v3 and TA v4:

Wages — same numbers, same backdated 3/21/2026 date, same 2030 end rates
Attendance — still 12 points discharge (fourth consecutive unchanged proposal)
ESTA + VR — 72 hrs, 6-min increments, 5 uses, exempt from points
Perfect attendance — 16 hrs per 6-month period
Healthcare — identical plan design, $0 legacy premiums
Deferred holidays — confirmed
MOU 13 OT voucher — confirmed
New hire grow-in — still 48 months for post-ratification hires
Contract expiration — December 20, 2030

📊 What Changed from v3 to v4?

Added $500 to the bonus — $2,500 → $3,000. Real money but modest.

Added Emergency COLA — The first inflation protection in four proposals. Genuine progress. But the 7.5% threshold is high enough that it would have only triggered once in the last 12 years. Think of it as crisis insurance, not a regular raise.

Added Profit Sharing — Up to $2,000/year tied to Saginaw site performance. New and meaningful if the site hits its targets. The Ideas in Motion requirement is a real condition members need to track.

Attendance threshold unchanged — 12 points for the fourth time. This has never moved across any of the four proposals.

Everything else identical — Same wages, same ESTA, same healthcare, same end date.