UAW strike against Detroit automakers has entered ‘new phase,’ union boss says

The United Auto Workers’ strike against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, has now entered a “new phase” as it hits the one-month point, the union’s top leader said Friday.

During his weekly address to members, UAW President Shawn Fain did not call for strikes at any additional plants, but said further walkouts could come at any time moving forward, not just on Fridays as they had in the first few weeks of the strike.

The union already demonstrated the adjustment in its strategy earlier in the week, when it ordered the shutdown of Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, a surprise move that the automaker condemned.

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“They thought they figured out the so-called rules of the game, so we changed the rules and now there’s only one rule: pony up,” Fain said of the Detroit automakers on Friday. “We’re at a point in this process where we are looking for one thing only: a deal, a tentative agreement.”

Fain said UAW leadership decided to strike at Ford’s Kentucky plant on Wednesday after they met with the company’s negotiation team at its headquarters. According to Fain, Ford refused to offer more in its latest offer, so the union called for the 8,700 workers employed at the facility to walk out.

“We’re not messing around,” Fain told the union membership. “A negotiation requires both sides making movement. If they’re not ready to move, then we’re going to give them a push in a language they understand. Dollars and cents.”

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The UAW launched its simultaneous but limited strike against Ford, GM and Stellantis on Sept. 15, beginning with one plant at each automaker. The union has incrementally expanded the strike to other plants.

More than 33,000 of the 150,000 union workers employed by the Big Three are currently on strike.

So far, the strike has cost the U.S. economy more than $5.5 billion and resulted in thousands of layoffs across the automakers and suppliers due to the shutdowns at critical assembly plants.