The UAW Members Go On Strike Against Big 3 Automaker

Thousands of United Auto Workers members initiated a strike at three major plants as Detroit automakers couldn't secure agreements with the union by the Thursday night deadline. 

The affected facilities include GM's plant in Wentzville, Missouri, Ford's plant in Wayne, Michigan producing Ranger and Bronco, and Stellantis' Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio.

The strike will involve approximately 12,700 workers, and the UAW has a total of 146,000 members employed at Ford, GM, and Stellantis.

The union's main proposals encompass a 40% hourly wage hike, a shorter 32-hour workweek, a return to traditional pensions, removing compensation tiers, and reinstating cost-of-living adjustments (COLA).

the companies have offered wage increases of roughly 20%, COLA, altered profit-sharing bonuses; and enhanced vacation and family leave enhancements that the union has found inadequate.

As per Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations data, the UAW strike marks the 17th strike in the U.S. involving over 2,000 workers in 2023.

Economists are assessing the impact of a possible labor disruption at GM, Ford, and Stellantis, responsible for approximately half of the annual U.S. vehicle production, around 15 million vehicles.