On Friday, the United Auto Workers took to the picket lines with a unified purpose: to exert pressure on Detroit’s three major automakers to raise wages, particularly in a period marked by substantial profits and as the automotive industry embarks on an expensive shift from traditional gas-powered vehicles to electric ones.
What does this mean?
In an unprecedented move, the United Auto Workers union, or UAW, simultaneously initiated strikes at General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis, aiming to introduce a novel form of disruption to these companies and regain some of the compensation and benefits that workers had relinquished in previous decades.
Presently, the strikes are limited to three assembly plants: a General Motors facility in Wentzville, Missouri, a Ford plant near Detroit in Wayne, Michigan, and a Jeep plant operated by Stellantis in Toledo, Ohio.
These striking auto workers received backing from President Joe Biden, who dispatched his aides to Detroit to help mediate the deadlock, emphasizing that the three major automakers should distribute their “record profits” more equitably.
Union President Shawn Fain has made it clear that if the companies fail to present more favorable offers, workers may extend the strikes to additional plants. The primary demands of the workers include across-the-board wage increases amounting to 36% over a span of four years, while the companies have countered with offers ranging from 17.5% to 20%.
Although the workers expressed the hope that the strikes would be resolved swiftly, they reiterated their unwavering commitment to their cause and expressed appreciation for Fain’s resolute negotiation tactics.
In a speech made at his inauguration, Fain said, “We’re here to come together to ready ourselves for the war against our only one and only true enemy, multibillion dollar corporations and employers who refuse to give our members their fair share. It’s a new day in the UAW.”
Many people have come out to show their support, including Senator Bernie Sanders.