DETROIT, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The United Auto Workers union is now on strike against all three Detroit automakers after their contract expired at midnight this morning.
The strike, however, is happening differently than in the past. Work has stopped at a General Motors plant in Wentzville, Missouri; a Ford plant in Wayne, Michigan; and a Stellantis plant in Toledo, Ohio. All other workers are on duty and working on the expired contract.
The UAW wants a 46-percent raise, while offers from the automakers top out at Ford’s 20-percent offer.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she is concerned about the UAW strike against all three Detroit automakers. Speaking at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday, she said it’s “an incredibly important industry.” Whitmer is worried about the economic impacts of the strike.
She says she has spoken often to both UAW president Shawn Fain and the company leaders in the past month and a half.
Michigan’s U.S. Senator Gary Peters will join UAW members on the picket line outside the Ford assembly plant in Wayne this morning, Peters will be there at 8:15 a.m. to support the striking workers.
The senator sent a letter in July to all three auto company CEOs urging them to negotiate in good faith and met with UAW members in Lansing in August to hear their priorities.
