By striking simultaneously at General Motors, Ford and Chrysler owner Stellantis for the first time in its history, the United Auto Workers union is trying to inflict a new kind of pain on the companies in hopes of clawing back some pay and benefits workers gave up in recent decades.
Workers out on the picket lines said they hoped the strikes didn't last long, but that they were committed to the cause and appreciated Fain's tough tactics. If the contract negotiations drag on — and the strikes expand to affect more plants — the costs will grow for workers and the companies. Auto dealers could run short of vehicles, raising prices and pushing customers to buy from foreign automakers with nonunionized workers. It could also put stress on an economy that’s already been hit hard by inflation.
“We’ve been a one-party state for longer than I’ve been alive,” Fain said while campaigning as an adversary to the companies rather than a business partner. “It keeps the strike fund lasting longer,” said Guajardo, who was on the picket line in Michigan Friday before the sun came up. In addition to general wage increases, the union is seeking restoration of cost-of-living pay raises, an end to varying tiers of wages for factory jobs, a 32-hour week with 40 hours of pay, the restoration of traditional defined-benefit pensions for new hires who now receive only 401-style retirement plans, pension increases for retirees and other items.