Biden to address strike
President Joe Biden is expected to deliver remarks on the contract negotiations between the United Auto Workers and the Big Three auto companies.
Stellantis 'extremely disappointed'
Stellantis said it was "extremely disappointed" following the strike's launch.
"We are extremely disappointed by the UAW leadership’s refusal to engage in a responsible manner to reach a fair agreement in the best interest of our employees, their families and our customers," the automaker said.
"We immediately put the Company in contingency mode and will take all the appropriate structural decisions to protect our North American operations and the Company."
UAW president tells NBC News: We want economic justice
Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers Union, told NBC News that it was a shame that negotiations broke down but that his members were striking for economic justice.
“We didn’t want to be here. We want a fair agreement. We want fair economic and social justice for our members. That’s what this is all about. And it’s a shame,” he said, speaking at a Ford assembly plant in Michigan.
Fain said the bargaining committee had delayed and “dragged out” negotiations on pay but added that the wider issue was how the industry transitions to electric cars in a way that’s fair to workers.
Asked whether a 20% pay raise might sound attractive to most American workers, Fain argued that the price of cars has risen 30% in the last four years while the pay of auto industry CEOs has gone up by 40%.
Picketing at Wayne, Michigan, plant
Pay raises loomed large in the talks, but bigger challenges await
Many of the core issues in the labor dispute between the United Auto Workers and the Big Three U.S. automakers are familiar: salary increases, sick days and pay grades.
But lurking in the background is the transition to electric vehicles and away from cars and trucks with internal combustion engines — those that run on gasoline and motor oil.
The change, which might be the biggest in the history of the auto industry, has major implications for the business and for its workers.
Workers strike at Jeep Wrangler plant in Ohio
AFL-CIO standing in solidarity with UAW
Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, a federation of 60 unions with 12.5 million members, said she fully backed the UAW and the strike.
"This fight isn’t just about auto workers and their families, this is about creating a future where everyone can prosper," she posted on social media as the negotiation deadline expired and autoworkers walked out.