TOLEDO, Ohio — For the first time in history, members of the United Auto Workers union are on strike at three of the nation’s top auto makers: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis.

What You Need To Know

  • One of those plants is Stellantis Assembly Center in Toledo, Ohio, where about 5,800 workers walked off the job after nearly two months of failed negotiations between the companies and the union

  • Union leaders said they’re seeking an immediate 20% raise, followed by four additional 5% raises, a four-day work week, a return to traditional pension and payment plans and stronger job security as the industry shifts to electric vehicle production

  • In a statement, Stellantis said, “We are extremely disappointed by the UAW leadership's refusal to engage in a responsible manner to reach a fair agreement in the best interest of our employees, their families and our customers"

Rather than having all 145,000 members of the union across the country walk off the job, leaders have selected one large assembly plant for each company to strike first.

One of those plants is Stellantis Assembly Center in Toledo, Ohio, where about 5,800 workers walked off the job at midnight on Friday after nearly two months of failed negotiations between the companies and the union. 

They said they plan on striking until an agreement can be reached. 

“This is just the beginning,” Jeremiah Laguna, a member of UAW Local 12, said. “It’s like the first volleys in a war. We’re starting to see what’s going to happen, and if it has to escalate, it escalates.”

Union leaders said they’re seeking an immediate 20% raise, followed by four additional 5% raises, a four-day work week, a return to traditional pension and payment plans and stronger job security as the industry shifts to electric vehicle production. 

“It’s disheartening because we’re the ones who are building the product, and people here, especially the two-tier system, can’t even afford the product,” Laguna said. “We’re being forced overtime in a lot of areas and times and you know, we’re living here. What’s the benefit? So they can make the money and buy multimillion dollar homes and have other vacation places and sorry, you’ve gotta work this weekend.”

Workers said the 40% pay increase request is based on the increases in pay the CEOs of Ford, Stellantis and GM got over the past four years.

For workers like David Box, a lack of pay for newer employees is more concerning than his own. 

“Give them something to care about, you know? People hire in here knowing this is a career where they can stay here, raise a family off this income,” Box said. “And when they keep them as temporaries for years, they just can’t. How do you buy a mortgage when your job says you’re a temporary employee? You can’t. It’s just not easy.”

In a statement, Stellantis said, “We are extremely disappointed by the UAW leadership's refusal to engage in a responsible manner to reach a fair agreement in the best interest of our employees, their families and our customers."

Laguna said striking isn’t fun for the workers either, especially as they aren’t getting paid to be on the picket line. 

The union will distribute $500 a week in “strike pay” to help workers stay afloat. 

“It affects everybody,” Laguna said. “Like I said, nobody wants to see a strike, but this is where we have to resort to now.”

So far, Ford has offered a wage increase of 20% during the life of the contract, which the company called "generous."

General Motors also offered a 20% increase, and Stellantis 17.5%. 

Anderson Economic Group estimates a 10-day strike could cause losses of over $5 billion.

If the automakers' supplies run low, people could be waiting longer for a vehicle, and prices could go up. 

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