UAW to add strike targets against Big Three US automakers
Striking members of the United Auto Workers picket outside the GM's Willow Run Distribution Center, in Belleville, Wayne County, Michigan, US, on September 26, 2023.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) plans to add strike targets against the Big Three US automakers on Friday if there is no major progress in their contract negotiation, The Detroit News quoted a UAW source as saying on Wednesday.
The list of potential strike targets in the next stage involves engine and transmission facilities, as well as large pickup trucks and SUV factories.
Like last week, the new locations for strike would be announced at 10am local time (2pm GMT) on a Facebook livestream hosted by the union, and the strike will begin at noon on Friday.
The UAW's unprecedented strike against the Big Three is now on its 13th day. The UAW went on strike on September 15 at three select facilities of Ford, GM and Stellantis, and expanded the strike to 38 General Motors (GM) and Stellantis facilities on September 22.
Nationwide, 18,300 UAW autoworkers at 41 Ford Motor Co, GM and Stellantis NV facilities in 20 states are on strike, asking for higher wages, pensions for all workers and elimination of the tiered wage systems.
US President Joe Biden visited a picket line outside a GM parts distribution center in the US state of Michigan Tuesday, voicing his support to auto workers. Former US President Donald Trump's visit here came a day after Biden's appearance, where he attacked Biden's policies for transforming the auto industry and showed his support for auto workers.
In an interview Tuesday, UAW President Shawn Fain says he sees "no point" in meeting with Trump, "I don't think the man has any bit of care about what our workers stand for, what the working class stands for. He serves a billionaire class."
"Our focus right now is 100 percent on getting a great agreement for our members," Fain said. "Today was really about our workers."
The automakers are "all for taking all of our tax dollars, helping finance this transition (to EVs). But when it comes to taking care of the workers, the companies keep trying to take us backward and it's unacceptable."
