Auto Union Expands Strike As Almost 7,000 Workers Told To Walk Off The Job

The United Auto Workers (UAW) announced Monday that it would be striking at yet another auto plant in its continued dispute with the Big Three automakers.

Around 6,800 UAW members at Stellantis’ Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Michigan were told to walk off the job on Monday morning, with union leadership claiming that even though Stellantis has the highest revenue and profit margins of the Big Three, they have lagged behind in addressing the unions demands compared to the other automakers, according to a UAW announcement. The UAW has been striking against the Big Three automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — since contacts expired on Sept. 14, previously walking out at 44 different plants across the country.

“Despite having the highest revenue, the highest profits (North American and global), the highest profit margins, and the most cash in reserve, Stellantis lags behind both Ford and General Motors in addressing the demands of their UAW workforce,” the press release reads. “Currently, Stellantis has the worst proposal on the table regarding wage progression, temporary worker pay and conversion to full-time, cost-of-living adjustments (COLA), and more.”

The new strike brings the current total of striking UAW workers to 40,000, still far from the 150,000 autoworkers covered under the UAW at the Big Three, according to the press release. The 5-week strike now encompasses seven assembly plants and 38 parts distribution centers across 22 states.

“Don’t let them divide us,” Shawn Fain, president of the UAW, said in a statement on Twitter following the new strike. “Don’t let them scare us. Don’t let them confuse us. Our cause is just, the money is there, and our strategy is working. Time is on our side. The American public is on our side. The facts are on our side. Stay ready to Stand Up.”

The UAW and Stellantis did not immediately respond to a request to comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.