The union of major US auto companies on Monday intensified its strike against the companies, adding a factory in the protest move.
The United Auto Workers union added a Ram pickup truck factory, owned by the Stellantis company, to the strike.
About 6,800 union workers walked off the job Monday at the factory in Sterling Heights, Michigan, the union said.
The move comes just three days after union leader Shawn Fain reported progress in negotiations with General Motors and Stellantis, though he added that the companies must make better offers. No progress was reported by Ford, which last week said it presented the best offer of the three.
The union went on strike on September 15, initially at one factory in each company. There are currently about 40,000 workers from the three companies on strike. The strikes, now in their sixth week, have affected seven assembly plants and 38 spare parts warehouses.
In its statement, the union said the bids from Stellantis – formed by the 2021 merger of Fiat Chrysler and French group PSA – trail Ford and GM even though the automaker has the most revenue and profit of all three.
Stellantis has the worst offer on wage increases, paying temporary employees, converting temporary workers to full-time workers and other issues, the union said.
On Friday, Fain said Stellantis and GM made salary offers equal to 23% of Ford’s over the life of the four-year contract. But the union president, in his characteristically brusque tone, insisted the companies could go ahead.
“We have cards left to play and they have money left to spend,” Fain said.
