The UAW expanded its strike on Friday, targeting Ford and General Motors. UAW President Shawn Fain announced on Facebook Live, calling on an additional 7,000 UAW members to hit the picket lines at noon Eastern Time today.<\/p>\n
The UAW picked Ford\u2019s Chicago Assembly and GM\u2019s Lansing Delta Township Assembly plants for the new strike action. The additional workers bring the total number of strikers to 25,000 members. The UAW\u2019s Stand Up Strike now affects 43 facilities in 21 states.<\/p>\n
Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said the union has already achieved a record contract and that it was \u201cgrossly irresponsible to escalate the strikes.\u201d GM\u2019s Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing Gerald Johnson told Automotive News<\/em> that the strikes are \u201cjust for the headlines, not real progress,\u201d noting that the automaker has not received a counteroffer from the UAW to its latest proposal.<\/p>\n Stellantis avoided additional strike action from the union on Friday. The automaker said in a statement that it has made progress in its discussions with the UAW, \u201cbut gaps remain.\u201d It\u2019s committed to reaching a \u201cfair and responsible agreement.\u201d According to the UAW, the automaker has made \u201cconsiderable progress in bargaining\u201d on several issues, including cost-of-living adjustments, just before Fain expanded the strike as it enters its third week.<\/p>\n The two factories targeted today produce popular SUVs for both automakers. GM\u2019s facility builds the Buick Enclave and the Chevrolet Traverse, while Ford builds the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator in Chicago. During Fain\u2019s broadcast, the union president noted that negotiations have not broken down, and it continues talking with all three automakers.<\/p>\n Early this week, US President Joe Biden made a historic visit to the picket line. He addressed UAW members at GM\u2019s Willow Run redistribution center, marking the first time in modern history that a sitting US president joined picketing workers.<\/p>\n Tesla CEO Elon Musk also took to X (formerly Twitter) to blast the union this week, saying the UAW\u2019s demands could drive the three automakers into bankruptcy. Tesla does not employ unionized labor at its plants and is unaffected by the strikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n The historic strike kicked off on September 15 when nearly 13,000 UAW members walked out. This is the first time in the organization\u2019s 88-year history that it picketed all three automakers simultaneously. The union and the Big Three Automakers last negotiated a four-year contract in 2019. \u00a0<\/p>\n