The United Auto Workers union is expanding its set of historic rolling strikes against the Detroit Three: General Motors (GM) -), Ford (F) -) and Stellantis (STLA) -). Union President Shawn Fain said Sept. 29 that, despite the union's "willingness to bargain," both Ford and GM have "refused to make meaningful progress."
Fain called an additional 7,000 UAW members to stand up and strike starting at noon Sept. 29. The expansion will impact Ford's Chicago assembly plant and GM's Lansing Delta Township. Stellantis — which Fain said made "significant progress" in the moments before his broadcast — will not face a strike expansion.
Related: Tesla Chief Elon Musk has a warning for Detroit 3 amid ongoing auto strikes
"Negotiations haven't broken down. I'm still hopeful that we can reach a deal," Fain said. "But I also know that what we win at the bargaining table depends on the power we build on the job. Our strategy is working."
As of Friday afternoon, around 25,000 members of the UAW's 150,000 total number will be on strike.
The union is seeking 40% wage increases, a 32-hour work week, cost of living adjustments, expanded retirement benefits and fairer profit-sharing programs. Automakers have come back with 20% wage increases, but have remained inflexible on the union's other demands.
Last week, Fain skipped over Ford, noting the company's seriousness at the bargaining table, and expanded the strikes across GM and Stellantis. This week, Fain said Stellantis made progress on the cost of living allowances and the right not to cross the picket lines.
"We are excited about this momentum at Stellantis and hope it continues," Fain said. "Until then, we will keep building our arsenal of democracy and we will win."
Multiple analysts have contended since before the strikes began that the only winner in this battle is the non-union electric vehicle titan Tesla (TSLA) -).
Related: Former Ford CEO has harsh words of advice for UAW union strikers
"My bottom line: While the Big Three will be forced to pay more for labor, they cannot afford it," Deepwater Asset Management managing partner Gene Munster wrote earlier in the month. "It will give Tesla more room to keep prices low which should result in negative EV margins for the Big Three for the next two-plus years."
This is a standpoint that Tesla chief Elon Musk has publicly agreed with.
"This is like watching a slow-moving car crash," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote on X Friday. "If GM and Ford take this deal, the business model is impaired and yet UAW not backing down."
Ford CEO Jim Farley said Sept. 14 that if the UAW's current demands had been in effect since 2019, the company would have "gone bankrupt by now."
"Our anger is righteous and our struggle is just. We are fed up with corporate greed and we are fed up with corporate excess," Fain said. "We are fed up with companies that take more and more and give less and less."
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