The UAW continues its strike into the third week and is expanding it to Ford and GM, setting back the US auto industry. Such actions could lead to rapid bankruptcy of companies, Elon Musk has previously warned.
The United Auto Workers will stop work at additional plants at General Motors and Ford, UAW President Sean Fein said on Friday, according to Reuters. This became the first-ever simultaneous strike against Ford, GM, and Stellantis. The strike will extend to Ford’s Chicago assembly plant and GM’s Lansing, Michigan assembly plant. It will involve about 7,000 workers, bringing the total number of workers on the picket line to 25,000. Additional Stellantis members will not participate in the strike as the company has made significant changes to its contract proposal, according to the release.
“Despite our willingness to bargain Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress,” Fain said.
“To be clear, negotiations haven’t broken down. We’re still talking with all three companies and I’m still very hopeful that we can reach a deal,” Fain said. “We are fed up with corporate greed and we are fed up with corporate excess. We are fed up with breaking our bodies for companies that take more and more and give less and less.”
The strike is now in its third week. The UAW is demanding higher wages and benefits and an end to the tiered standard, which pays new workers much less. Automakers say union demands will hurt their profits as they try to compete with non-union manufacturers such as Tesla.
Elon Musk attracts employees of his companies with good working conditions, high wages, and a compensation plan. Thanks to this, their needs are satisfied and there is no need to become a puppet in the hands of a union that pursues its own interests. More recently, Musk commented on the UAW strike by saying that the union’s demands would “drive GM, Ford and Chrysler bankrupt in the fast lane.” The ongoing strikes are causing great damage to the US auto industry.
The union intensified an initial strike on Sept. 22, when workers walked off the job at General Motors and Stellantis distribution plants in 20 states across the country. It started on Sept. 15 when workers went on strike at GM, Ford, and Stellantis plants. Strikers have received $500 a week from the UAW strike fund.
