UAW expands strike and calls 7,000 more workers to the picket lines

The automobile workers union, UAW, added a new twist to its strike against the Big Three manufacturers by calling 7,000 workers to walk off the job. These are General Motors and Ford employees. Stellantis appears to be unaffected by this latest wave.

The president of the union, Shawn Fain, announced the expansion in a statement this Friday. The UAW has been on strike for three weeks now. They are seeking better conditions from the industry. Along with a reduction in weekly hours, the union is also demanding an increase in wages over the next three years.

Last week, Shawn Fain announced that the union had made progress in its negotiations with Ford. However, this week Ford employees returned to the picket line. This specifically affected Ford's assembly plant in Chicago.

According to Reuters, as of this Friday, there are 25,000 industry workers on strike. However, only 17% of union members are employed at one of the Big Three companies.

"Despite our willingness to bargain Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress," Fain said in a speech Friday. He claimed that, prior to the announcement, the UAW had seen a "flurry" of interest from businesses on Friday morning.

The strike is intensifying just a few days after President Biden's visit to Michigan. Biden defended the workers' right to strike for better conditions. A day later, Trump traveled to the state to hold a rally with striking workers, instead of attending the second Republican debate.