Rebecca Cook/Reuters
The United Auto Workers are officially on strike at assembly plants owned by each of the “Big Three” car manufacturers—GM, Ford and Stellantis (formerly known as Chrysler)—the first time in history that there has been a simultaneous work stoppage at all three companies.
The union had set a midnight deadline Thursday night to reach an agreement with the trio of companies, after asking for a list of hefty demands including 40% raises for hourly workers, a shortened 32-hour work week, cost-of-living adjustments, increases to vacation and family leave, and a return to a traditional pension system, among other requests.
The auto manufacturers, however, have balked at the demands, with Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley saying during a Thursday interview on CNN that the proposals would “put us out of business.”