The major union, the United Auto Workers (UAW), on Friday night announced a strike at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis (Chrysler’s parent alliance), which will affect the production of Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Colorado pickups and other best-selling trucks. The strikers are demanding a significant increase in wages and other benefits from the Detroit Three.
For the first time in UAW history, the UAW is targeting three auto giants at once, union leader Sean Fein said in an official statement on YouTube. According to him, the strike will take place at an “unprecedented level.” Three factories shut down on Friday. Fein promised that he would refrain from shutting down all businesses at the same time for now, but acknowledged the possibility if the demands were not met.
About 150 thousand union members work at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis plants in the United States. They negotiated for better working conditions for a year, setting a deadline of midnight on Thursday, but never got their way.
The UAW is demanding an immediate 40 percent increase in wages. Automakers have so far only agreed to a 20 percent increase, but without key benefits. In particular, none of them proposed abolishing the salary system: according to it, new employees must work in one place for eight years to earn the same as “veterans.”
According to Ford CEO Jim Farley, the situation threatens to turn into “one of the largest strikes” in American history. US President Joe Biden has already contacted the parties to the dispute to find out what stage the negotiations are at.
According to experts, during the week of the strike the Big Three will not produce about 24 thousand cars. At the same time, the weekly losses of each automaker will amount to approximately 400-500 million dollars, Deutsche Bank calculated.
Large and popular crossovers from the USA
