GM Makes New Offer As UAW Plans Another 'Stand Up Announcement'

DETROIT — General Motors Co. said Thursday it made a counteroffer to the United Auto Workers union in an effort to end the strike against the Detroit automaker.

The new offer, which GM did not detail, comes after United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain plans to have another "stand up announcement" on social media at 2 p.m. Friday.

"We can confirm that we provided a counteroffer to the UAW's most recent proposal — our sixth since the start of negotiations," GM spokesperson David Barnas said in a statement. "We believe we have a compelling offer that would reward our team members and allow GM to succeed and thrive into the future. We continue to stand ready and willing to negotiate in good faith 24/7 to reach an agreement."

GM announced Wednesday it has lined up a line of credit of up to $6 billion in light of the possibility of a longer strike. The automaker also said it estimates the strike will cost the company about $200 million in lost production in the third quarter.

GM's last offer to the union was not made public. The automaker's offer before that one on Sept. 14 included a 20 percent wage increase "over the life of the agreement" and cost-of-living adjustments.

The new offer also comes just after Ford Motor Co. announced it will lay off 400 autoworkers at two metro Detroit factories due to the ongoing strike. The automaker said the layoffs will affect 350 workers at the Livonia Transmission Plant and 50 workers at the Sterling Axle Plant in Sterling Heights.

As of Thursday afternoon, roughly 25,000 United Auto Workers members were on strike against Detroit's Big Three. The walkouts are part of a plan United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain calls "Stand Up Strike," which is a strategy to target specific plants.

The historic UAW strike against Detroit's Big Three began on Sept. 8 after the union's contract expired without a new one in place. It's the first time ever the union launched a strike against all three automakers at the same time.

The union is calling on the automakers for a 46 percent wage increase and a 32-hour workweek for its members. The union also wants to eliminate the wage tiered system, restore cost of living adjustments, end temporary workers after 90 days and increase multiple retiree benefits.