Auto workers on strike
A group called the United Auto Workers (UAW) started the strike. This nationwide union has about 150,000 members. Union officials told about 13,000 auto workers to strike on the first day. The strike started at three auto plants — a General Motors plant in Michigan, a Ford plant in Michigan, and a plant in Ohio for the Stellantis company. (Stellantis owns the Chrysler, Jeep, and Ram brands.) The large three companies are known as the “Big 3” in the car business.
Shawn Fain is the leader of the UAW. His union has gone on strike before, but this time is different. “We are using a new strategy — the ‘stand up’ strike,” Fain said in a speech. In other UAW strikes, all workers for a single company stopped going to their jobs at once. With this new plan, the UAW has started striking with only part of its total group, but across all three automakers. That way, some members can still work at their jobs and get paid. As time goes on, the union may tell more people to stop going to work. When fewer people are working, it can take longer for the companies to make their cars.
The strikers are trying to send a message. They want to make a new deal with the Big 3 automakers. The UAW wants pay raises for all its workers over the next four years. It also wants its members to get more vacation time and better benefits after they retire. So far, UAW leaders have been unhappy with the offers that the Big 3 have made.
U.S. President Joe Biden talked about the strike. “Let’s be clear, no one wants a strike. I’ll say it again. No one wants a strike,” the leader said. “But I respect workers’ rights to use their options,” Biden added. He asked the automakers to give workers their “fair share.”
Officials will keep working to come to an agreement. Until the two sides can finally reach a deal, the strike will go on.