The United Auto Workers (UAW) escalated its strike against the Big Three automakers on Monday to include a suburban Detroit plant that makes Ram pickup trucks for Stellantis. 

UAW President Shawn Fain joined fellow union members in Sterling Heights, Michigan, chanting, “No bucks! No trucks!”

Some 6,800 members of the UAW walked off the job at Stellantis’ Ram truck plant, bringing the total number of workers who’ve walked out since the strike began at midnight on September 15 to about 40,800. 

Since then, the walkout against the Big Three—Stellantis, Ford and General Motors—has been targeting a small number of plants from each company rather than undertaking a nationwide walkout of all union members at the same time.

On October 13, Fain said union workers were prepared to escalate the work stoppage “at any time.” 

Though Fain has announced an agreement with GM to bring all General Motors’ electric vehicle (EV) battery plants under the union’s national master agreement, as well as some progress in talks with Ford, Fain has stressed that that negotiators continue to work to secure deals on other sticking points, including wage increases, temporary worker pay and retirement security. 

On Friday, Fain said Stellantis and GM made wage offers that matched a proposal from Ford: 23% over the life of a four-year contract. However, the UAW president insisted that the companies can go further.

From 2013 to 2022, profits at the Big Three automakers increased 92%, totaling $250 billion dollars. The companies expect to add yet another $32 billion in profits to their totals in 2023, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

“We’ve got cards left to play, and they’ve got money left to spend,” Fain said Friday.

PHOTO: UAW President Shawn Fain (in green) with striking Stellantis workers

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