September 18, 2023
2 mins read

UAW announces start of strike at Big Three automakers

UAW President Shawn Fain, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders attended the rally….reports Asian Lite News

Wearing red T-shirts, hundreds of United Auto Workers (UAW), the largest union in the United States, and their supporters gathered outside General Motors (GM) Co.’s headquarters in downtown Detroit after the union announced to begin a strike against all Big Three automakers.

UAW President Shawn Fain, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders attended the rally.

In the last 50 years, there has been a massive redistribution of wealth in this country, the Detroit News quoted Sanders as saying in his speech to the crowd, highlighting the rising salaries of the CEOs of the Big Three automakers.

“It is time for you to treat your employees with the respect and dignity they deserve,” Sanders said.

While Democratic lawmakers from Michigan issued statements Friday supporting the UAW, Republican lawmakers of Michigan urged automakers and autoworkers to come to an agreement to avoid further economic impact. They also blamed the strike on Democratic policies of accelerating electric vehicle production.

A Republican statement said the government has “signaled that it doesn’t care about UAW workers” by passing policies that are “forcing our country into a comply-or-die EV mandate that has already burned billions in American taxpayer dollars.”

Another statement said the government’s policies have “pushed automakers and autoworkers into a corner … This strike will have harmful effects on Michigan’s economy and families.”

In response to the UAW strike, U.S. President Joe Biden urged the Big Three automakers to “go further” in their offers to the UAW.

In a televised speech, Biden noted the massive profits made by automakers in recent years that “have not been shared fairly” with workers.

“The companies have made some significant offers. But I believe it should go further to ensure record corporate profits mean record contracts for the UAW,” he said.

Acting labor secretary Julie Su and senior adviser Gene Sperling are heading to Detroit to “offer their full support” to both the union and the automakers.

“The UAW Stand Up Strike begins at all three of the Big Three,” the union said in a post on the social media platform X Thursday, covering a GM assembly plant in Missouri, a Stellantis plant in Ohio and a Ford plant in Michigan, and involving a combined 12,700 workers.

The first ever strike of all three at once in the union’s 88-year history came after it failed to clinch a deal on a new contract by a deadline on Thursday.

“This is our generation’s defining moment,” Fain told union members at a Facebook Live event on Thursday night. “The money is there, the cause is righteous, the world is watching.”

The union had reportedly been negotiating with all three automakers simultaneously, in a break from previous rounds of contract talks, for significantly higher pay and new benefits.

Particularly, the UAW called for protections for workers with traditional auto jobs as companies increasingly invest in EV production.

ALSO READ: First inbound ships to reach Ukraine through new Black Sea corridor

Previous Story

Ukraine in spotlight at UN leaders’ gathering

Next Story

5 Oil Firms Hit By California Lawsuit For ‘Deceiving Public’

Latest from -Top News

Indian-American Takes Office as Head of NIH

Born in Kolkata, India, Dr. Bhattacharya earned both his BA and MA degrees in economics from Stanford University, followed by a doctorate in medicine and a PhD in economics from the same

Trump-Putin bhai, bhai

The closer Trump and Putin get Britain, France and other Western countries which, since the end of the Second World War, have seen America as an ally, will have to rethink their

Mali embraces solar power for rural areas  

The border village of Karan and its 3,000 people used to go days without electricity. Now, enough power is available around the clock to run small video gaming centers and boost commercial
Go toTop

Don't Miss

‘US-Taliban normalisation doesn’t seem easy’

Respect for human and women’s rights, freedom of speech, education

US releases $275mn aid for Ukraine  

With the latest allocation, the total amount of military assistance