UAW Escalates Auto Strike as Contract Talks Stall

An additional 7,000 auto workers from two plants will hit the picket lines, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain announced.

UAW President Shawn Fain joins union members picketing outside the Stellantis Parts Distribution Center in Center Line, Mich., after they walked off their jobs at noon on Sept. 22, 2023. Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images

The United Auto Workers (UAW) will escalate its strike with two of the Big Three automakers—Ford and General Motors—as progress in negotiations has stalled with the labor dispute entering its 15th day.

UAW President Shawn Fain announced on Sept. 29 that an additional roughly 7,000 members would “stand up and go out on strike,” with 4,600 from Ford’s Chicago assembly plant and 2,300 from GM’s Lansing Delta Township plant.