The leader of the United Auto Workers union said on Friday that the strike against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis has entered a "new phase" in a month.In a weekly address to members, UAW President Sean Fein stopped short of calling for strikes at any other plants but said further strikes could happen at any time, not just on Friday as has been the case in the weeks leading up to the strike.
Earlier this week, the union ordered the closure of Ford's Kentucky truck plant in Louisville, an unexpected move that drew condemnation from the automaker.
"They thought they had the so-called rules of the game, so we changed the rules and now there's only one rule: Pay the money," Fain said Friday of the Detroit automakers. "In this process we are only looking for one thing - an agreement, a tentative agreement."
Fain said UAW leadership decided to hold a strike at Ford's Kentucky plant after meeting with Ford's negotiating team at headquarters on Wednesday. Ford declined to offer more in its latest proposal, leading the union to call on the 8,700 workers employed at the plant to leave, according to Fain.
"We're not messing around," Fein told union members. "Negotiations require action from both sides. If they are not ready to act, then we will push them in a language they understand. Dollars and cents."
The United Auto Workers union launched simultaneous but limited strikes against Ford, GM and Stellantis on September 15, starting at one plant per automaker. The union has gradually expanded the strike to other factories.
More than 33,000 of the 150,000 unionized workers employed by the Big Three are on strike.
The strikes have cost the U.S. economy more than $5.5 billion so far and caused thousands of layoffs at automakers and their suppliers as key assembly plants were shut down.