On Friday, another 7,000 members of America’s largest auto union joined a previously announced strike by workers at Detroit’s three largest auto plants.
United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain called on workers at Ford and General Motors plants in Chicago and Michigan to join the first-ever joint strike by employees of the three Detroit automakers: Ford, GM and Chrysler Stellantis. Unions are demanding higher wages and better social guarantees.
“I’m calling on workers at the Ford assembly plant in Chicago to strike, and I’m calling on workers at the GM plant in Lansing, Delta Township, to strike,” Fain said. A video of his performance was published on the YouTube platform. He called the participation in the strike of employees of two other factories a new wave of reinforcements in the fight for higher wages.
The strike began at noon Eastern time, a UAW spokesperson told AFP.
The union is demanding a 40% salary increase over the next four years. All three automakers are offering a 20% pay increase.
Unions are also demanding the inclusion of workers who will work at Ford’s yet-to-be-operated electric vehicle battery plants. The company’s management has still not accepted this requirement.
As a result, more than 25,000 workers (about 17 percent of all UAW members) are now on strike in 21 states across the country.
Ford Chairman Jim Farley, who has remained silent until now, criticized Fain’s tactics Friday.
“I think we could reach a compromise on wages and benefits, but right now the UAW is holding this deal hostage because of the battery factories,” he told reporters.
Ford recently halted construction at one of its factories and warned it may have to reduce the size of its electric vehicle project.
“As this strike shows, we can’t make cars in the United States without the UAW,” Fain said. “And whether Sean Fein believes it or not, the UAW must help Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have a future.”
“We remain committed to negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement that benefits workers and prevents non-union producers from winning,” he added.
Fain did not call a strike at the Stellantis plant, citing “significant progress” in negotiations.
“We like what’s happening at Stellantis right now and hope this trend continues,” he said.
Stellantis said in a statement that the company is “working intensively with the UAW to find solutions to the issues that concern our employees most, while ensuring the company remains competitive in a highly competitive marketplace.”
The strike increased Michigan’s importance as a swing state ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Earlier this week, Joe Biden became the first sitting president to stand up and join a workers’ picket, attacking Donald Trump, his most likely opponent in the 2024 election.
Wearing a UAW baseball cap, the president told workers they really deserved a raise.
Former Republican President Trump also visited Michigan this week. Speaking to union officials in suburban Detroit, he said he wanted “a future in which American workers, not foreign workers, are protected.”
Fain called Biden’s visit to Detroit a “historic day” on Friday.
“The most powerful man in the world was here for one reason,” he said. – Because our solidarity is the most powerful force in the world. When we are united in the cause of economic and social justice, we cannot be defeated. »
