With less than 48 hours to go before a possible strike against the Big Three Detroit car companies, United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain said he expects the demands of the union’s 150,000 workers to be addressed.

Since July, the union has been negotiating with General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis on a new contract to replace the one that expires Sept. 14 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

What You Need To Know

  • The United Auto Workers could strike against General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis Thursday night at 11:59 p.m. ET if the two sides don't make a deal before their current contract expires

  • The UAW has been negotiating with each of the Detroit auto makers on a new contract since July

  • The union presented a list of 10 demands to the car companies, including a 32-hour workweek, pension benefits for all workers and more paid time off

  • UAW president Shawn Fain said he plans to meet with the car companies Wednesday to continue negotiating

The UAW has presented the companies with a list of 10 demands, including a 32-hour workweek, a 30% wage increase, pension benefits for all workers, restrictions on the use of temporary workers and more paid time off, but the two sides remain far apart as of Wednesday morning, when Fain said he will continue negotiating with each car maker.

Progress has been slow, Fain told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Wednesday morning.

“Can we get there? Yes we can, but they need to buckle down and get busy," Fain told anchor George Stephanopoulos. "We’ve got 48 hours and that’s not a lot of time to go the distance we need to go."

In late August, 97% of UAW members voted to authorize a strike if the two sides can’t negotiate a deal before the current contract expires.

Over the past week, General Motors has offered a 16% wage increase, while Ford offered 15% and Stellantis offered 14.5%. All three companies have said they will raise the base pay for temporary workers to $20 per hour. Earlier this week, Fain lowered his wage increase demand from the 40% he had been demanding since negotiations began in July to 30%.

President Biden has weighed in on the potential strike multiple times over the past two months urging the two sides to make a deal. He has said he supports the workers’ right to collective bargaining and wages that allow workers to support their families.  

The current contract between the UAW and the Detroit auto makers has been in place four years. A recent study from the Anderson Economic Group estimates a 10-day UAW strike could cost the U.S. economy more than $5 billion.

The last time the UAW struck was in 2019, when 48,000 union workers walked out at 50 General Motors plants for six weeks. A 2023 strike would be against all three auto companies, prompting larger disruptions.

“It’s not gonna wreck the economy,” Fain said. “It’s gonna wreck the billionaire economy, and that’s the big issue here. The billionaire class is running away with everything. The working class is being left living paycheck to paycheck and feeding off the scraps.”

Over the past four years of the current contract, vehicle prices increased 30% and CEO pay increased 40% while worker pay increased 6%, Fain said.

“We’re not the problem. Labor is less than 10% of the cost of the vehicle, so when the companies talk about competition, it’s code for race to the bottom. That’s what they’re trying to do is drive a race to the bottom, and the workers deserve better than that.”