Nearly 50,000 General Motors auto workers go on strike
Christian Fernsby ▼ | September 16, 2019
More than 49,000 members of the United Auto Workers walked off General Motors factory floors or set up picket lines as contract talks with the company deteriorated into a strike.Article continues below
Topics: GENERA MOTORS WORKERS STRIKE
Workers shut down 33 manufacturing plants in nine states across the U.S., as well as 22 parts distribution warehouses.
It wasn’t clear how long the walkout would last, with the union saying GM has budged little in months of talks while GM GM, -0.54% said it made substantial offers including higher wages and factory investments.
It’s the first national strike by the union since a two-day walkout in 2007 that had little impact on the company.
UAW Vice President Terry Dittes, the union’s top GM negotiator, said a strike is the union’s last resort but is needed because both sides are far apart in negotiating a new four-year contract. The union, he said Saturday, does not take a strike lightly.
“We clearly understand the hardship that it may cause,†he said. “We are standing up for fair wages, we are standing up for affordable quality health care, we are standing up for our share of the profits.â€
GM, however, said it offered pay raises and $7 billion worth of U.S. factory investments resulting in 5,400 new positions, a minority of which would be filled by existing employees. GM would not give a precise number. The company also said it offered higher profit sharing, “nationally leading†health benefits and an $8,000 payment to each worker upon ratification.
Because public statements from both sides conflict, it’s hard to tell how long the strike will last, said Kristin Dziczek, vice president of labor and industry at the Center for Automotive Research, an industry think tank. The length “depends on how far apart they really are and where the lines in the sand are drawn,†she said.
Talks were scheduled to resume at 10 a.m. EDT on Monday. ■ What to read next
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