On Friday, according to media sources citing sources, the United Auto Workers (UAW) will expand the scope of its strike due to failure to reach consensus in collective bargaining agreement negotiations. More Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis factories will join the strike. After the news came out, Ford Motor's stock price fell by 0.8%, and General Motors fell by more than 1%.

Since then, UAW President Shawn Fain said the latest strike involves more Ford and GM assembly plants, including Ford's Chicago plant, which makes Explorer-model cars, and GM's plant in Lansing, Michigan, which makes Chevrolet Traverse-model cars. The union exempted Stellantis from further strikes after a last-minute breakthrough in negotiations with the company.

Fain praised Stellantis for the progress it has made in negotiations: "We are excited about this momentum for Stellantis and hope it will continue. Prior to this announcement, Stellantis had made significant progress on cost-of-living benefits, the right not to cross strike picket lines, and the right to strike over product commitments, factory closures, and moratoriums on outsourcing."

Stellantis' U.S. stock price turned higher after Fain's statement, but has since fallen back, with the latest strike exemption failing to boost the stock price. Shares of General Motors and Ford Motor Co. have fallen sharply since July amid uncertainty over negotiations. The exception is Stellantis, which is up about 36% year to date.

General Motors expressed displeasure with the UAW's latest action, saying in a statement that it was eager to reach a deal that "does not allow non-union manufacturers to win." GM refers to rivals such as Tesla Inc, as well as foreign car brands with factories in the United States.

The UAW's latest strike targets a plant that makes midsize SUVs, a key mass-produced model for General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., but the strikes have not yet shut down the automakers' engines, transmissions or profit engines -- their full-size SUV and truck plants.

Since the general strike began on September 15, workers at 41 plants have gone on strike, including Stellantis and all GM parts distribution centers in the United States. The UAW has 146,000 members among the three major automakers. The general strike has affected 18,000 of them so far. The latest strike plan will involve an additional 7,000 people. This is the first time Detroit's three traditional automakers have been targeted by strikes at the same time.

As the general strike enters its third week, the UAW is increasing pressure on automakers. Negotiations continue over issues such as wages, pensions and future battery plant workers.In negotiations between car companies and unions, whether there is a right to strike after a factory closure has been a focus of debate. Mark Stewart, Stellantis' chief operating officer for North America, said earlier that the company wants to be able to make decisions about product distribution and where it goes.

Currently, each automaker is negotiating individually with the UAW on its own company's four-and-a-half-year contract, but they are also paying close attention to the actions of other automakers. Last week, Fain said talks with Ford were making progress when it was spared when the strike expanded to more locations, though it failed to extend that exemption this week.

According to media reports on Thursday, the UAW has compromised on the salary increase. Its new goal is to negotiate with automakers for at least a 30% salary increase instead of the initial 40%. The UAW believes a wage increase of at least 30% is expected to generate interest among non-union autoworkers and help expand union membership.

When U.S. President Joe Biden visited a General Motors plant this week, he told striking workers that if they persist, they are entitled to a substantial pay increase and other benefits.

Tesla CEO Musk said that a 40% wage increase and a 32-hour work week will "undoubtedly push General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler into the fast lane of bankruptcy."