4,000 employees join
Strikes in the US auto industry are gaining momentum
October 9, 2023, 11:39 a.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
The historic strike at the three major US automakers has been dragging on for weeks. The union and the company are no closer. Now 4,000 employees of the commercial vehicle manufacturer Mack Truck are joining the strike movement. They previously voted against an agreement with their employer.
In the USA, according to union information, another 4,000 workers in the auto industry have joined the strike movement. Just as many employees of the commercial vehicle manufacturer Mack Truck with plants in the states of Pennsylvania and Maryland voted against an agreement with their employer on Sunday. The United Auto Workers (UAW) union said they would go on strike on Monday morning on the online service X, formerly Twitter. Mack Trucks is part of the Swedish company Volvo.
The strikes at the so-called “Big Three” of the US auto industry – General Motors, Ford and Stellantis with the Chrysler brand – began in mid-September. According to the UAW, around 25,000 employees were now on strike. The union is primarily demanding significant wage increases and additional vacation days. It represents around 146,000 employees in the US auto industry.
Among other things, the UAW is pushing for wage increases of 40 percent over four years. Shorter working hours are also an issue, as is the return to traditional company pensions and an adjustment in the cost of living. The union points to the loss of purchasing power of the workforce, the high profits of companies and the jumps in compensation for company bosses. The car manufacturers have so far promised wage increases of 20 percent. There is no new offer yet.
US President Joe Biden has publicly expressed his solidarity with the striking workers. He visited a strike group in Michigan a good two weeks ago and supported them in the midst of a labor dispute. “You deserve a significant raise,” the president said through a megaphone there. Biden is also campaigning for the important votes of US workers for the upcoming elections in November 2024.