The United Auto Workers (UAW) announced that they would be expanding their targeted strike to more manufacturing plants at noon on Friday following a failure to reach a new contract with automakers.
UAW announced that 7,000 more workers at two plants will join the strike at just Ford and General Motors, sparing Stellantis, as negotiations over new contracts continue to fail to reach a resolution, according to a UAW livestream Friday.
The union last announced an expansion on Sept. 22 from just three plants to 41 across the U.S., with the new plants being split between Stellantis and GM, sparing Ford of more strikes after saying that the company had been more willing to cooperate in negotiations.
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“Despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress at the table,” Shawn Fain, president of the UAW, said in the announcement. “That’s why, at noon eastern time today, we will expand our strike to these two companies. To be clear, negotiations haven’t broken down. We’re still talking with all three companies, and I am still very hopeful that we can reach a deal that reflects the incredible sacrifices and contributions our members have made over the last decade.”
Among the union’s demands are the elimination of wage tiers, large wage increases, cost of living adjustments, defined pensions, the right to strike over plant closures and more, according to the UAW’s website.
“Today, our union is building a different arsenal of democracy, but this war isn’t against some foreign country; the front lines are right here at home,” Fain said in the announcement. “It’s the war of the working class versus corporate greed. We are the new arsenal of democracy. The workers are the liberators, and our strike is the vehicle for liberation.”
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“We still have not received a comprehensive counteroffer from UAW leadership to our latest proposal made on September 21,” Gerald Johnson, executive vice president of global manufacturing at GM, said in a statement.
“Calling more strikes is just for the headlines, not real progress. The number of people negatively impacted by these strikes is growing and includes our customers who buy and love the products we build… Our current, record proposal that is on the table offers historic wage increases and job security while not jeopardizing our future. We’re here to reach an agreement so we can all get back to work, and that remains our 100% focus.”
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