The United Auto Workers strike expanded again on Monday as thousands of workers walked out and shut down Stellantis’ largest plant.
6,800 workers walked out of the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Michigan on Monday morning.
BREAKING: 6,800 Local 1700 autoworkers join the UAW’s Stand Up Strike at Stellantis’s largest plant, Sterling Heights Assembly! #StandUpUAW pic.twitter.com/TtbmAL4Q73
— UAW (@UAW) October 23, 2023
“No bucks, no trucks!” UAW President Shawn Fain shouted alongside striking auto workers.
WATCH:
“No bucks, no trucks!”
Local 1700 has shut down Sterling Heights Assembly! #StandUpUAW pic.twitter.com/q5sSniIuor
— UAW (@UAW) October 23, 2023
Politico reported:
The United Auto Workers announced it shut down Stellantis’ largest plant Monday morning, as thousands of Michigan workers walked out to join the ongoing strike against Detroit auto companies.
The expansion is a sign that the strike is becoming a slog, with the UAW continuing to reject the automakers’ offers — a scenario President Joe Biden is eager to avoid as his reelection effort gets under away amid an unpredictable economy.
The UAW said Chrysler parent Stellantis has fallen behind Ford and General Motors in appeasing the union at the bargaining table, leading to the walkout at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant.
The new walkout brings the total number of striking workers to more than 40,000 and continues the UAW’s strategy of ramping up pressure on the automakers by keeping the companies guessing where the next work stoppage might be as they negotiate a new contract with the union.
A couple of weeks ago 8,700 UAW members walked off the job and shut down Ford’s iconic Kentucky truck plant on Wednesday.
“We have been crystal clear, and we have waited long enough, but Ford has not gotten the message,” said UAW President Shawn Fain.
For the first time in the history of the 150,000-member United Auto Workers Union, members went on strike against the “Big 3” manufacturers last month after no deal was reached.
The “Big 3” include Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, the newly-formed merger of Fiat Chrysler and the PSA Group.
“Key demands from the union have included 40% hourly pay increases; a reduced, 32-hour, workweek; a shift back to traditional pensions; the elimination of compensation tiers; and a restoration of cost-of-living adjustments. Other items on the table include enhanced retiree benefits and better vacation and family leave benefits,” CNBC reported.
Kentucky Truck Plant workers shut it down earlier this month. This is Ford’s biggest and most profitable plant.
“Ford’s Kentucky truck plant, its most profitable operation, generates $25 billion in annual revenue, about a sixth of the company’s global automotive revenue. The company’s shares fell about 2% in after-hours trading, after closing 0.4% higher on Wednesday.” Reuters reported.
