Thousands more join auto industry's biggest strike

This is an unprecedented large-scale strike by auto workers involving three "big guys" in the industry: Ford, General Motors (GM) and Stellantis.

Mỹ: Thêm hàng nghìn người tham gia cuộc đình công lớn nhất của ngành ô tô. (Nguồn: PSB.org)

US: Thousands more join the largest strike in the auto industry. (Source: PSB.org)

On September 29, 7,000 more members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union joined the current large-scale strikes, bringing the total number of auto workers on strike in 21 states in the US to 25,000, equivalent to 17% of the UAW's membership.

This is the largest-ever joint strike by auto workers involving the three "big guys" in the industry: Ford, General Motors (GM) and Stellantis. The strikers demand that the three companies increase wages by 40% in the next 4-year labor contract along with many better conditions and benefits for employees. However, the three manufacturers only proposed an increase of about 20%.

UAW President Shawn Fain said the latest members to join the strike are workers at two manufacturing plants in Chicago and Michigan. They began stopping work at 4 p.m. GMT (11 p.m. on September 29, Vietnam time).

The UAW president also said he would not call on the new strikebreakers to end their protests at Stellantis despite “significant progress” on some of the issues being discussed. Among the issues being negotiated are cost-of-living wage adjustments and the right to strike if the manufacturer announces a shutdown or relocation.

Stellantis said on the same day that it is working diligently with the UAW to find solutions to the issues that employees care most about while ensuring the company remains competitive. The two sides have made progress in their discussions, but many differences remain. Stellantis is committed to reaching a fair and responsible agreement that allows employees to return to work as soon as possible.

The UAW union began striking on September 15 at factories of the three largest US automakers as the deadline for reaching an agreement with employers on a new contract expired. On September 26, President Joe Biden made a short trip to Michigan - the "heart" of the US auto industry and an important battleground state in the 2024 election campaign. Here, the US leader urged Ford, General Motors and Stellantis to ensure workers' rights.

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