UAW Strike: 7,000 More Workers From Ford, GM Plants Called To Walkout

DETROIT — United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain called for more union workers to join the ongoing strike against Detroit's Big Three.

Roughly 7,000 United Auto Workers members at the Ford Chicago Assembly Plant and GM Lansing Delta Assembly are expected to walkout Friday at noon.

"Over the last week the vice presidents and our office have been working night and day," Fain said. "Sadly despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have failed to make meaningful progress at the table."

Fain did not call on any workers at Stellantis to walkout because talks with the Detroit automaker made "significant progress" in recent hours.

The expansion of the strike comes after Fain initially said last Friday the union made "real progress" in its talks with Ford Motor Company. Fain said the automaker agreed to several key demands proposed by the union, including pay, cost of living, profit sharing, job security as well as the right to strike over plant closures.

The new round of walkouts would bring the total number of striking workers to roughly 25,000 of the union's 146,000 members. Roughly 5,000 United Auto Workers members walked out of 38 parts and distribution factories at General Motors and Stellantis in the U.S. last Friday.

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.

Roughly 13,000 UAW workers initially walked off the job at three plants in Michigan, Ohio and Missouri as part of what Fain called the "Stand Up Strike," which is a strategy to target specific plants. As of Monday morning, those workers were still on strike.

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.

Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have offered the union multiple proposals that included a 10 percent wage increase from GM, a 14.5 percent increase from Stellantis and Ford's 9 percent increase and a 6 percent lump sum added after. The union rejected all proposals.