RECAP: What to know about the UAW strike
(CBS DETROIT) - At midnight on Friday, Sept. 15, the United Auto Workers union announced it was on strike after no agreement with Detroit's three big automakers.
On Thursday, UAW President Shawn Fain called on three plants to strike. Those plants were General Motors Wentzville Assembly Plant in Missouri, Stellantis Toledo Assembly Complex, and Ford Michigan Assembly Plant - Final Assembly and Paint in Wayne.
"If we need to go all out, we will," Fain said Thursday night.
Here's CBS News Detroit's latest coverage on the UAW strike:
UAW members go on strike at GM Missouri, Stellantis Toledo, Ford Wayne assembly plants
United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain provided an update Thursday night on negotiations with the Big Three automakers and strike plans ahead of Thursday's 11:59 p.m. contract deadline.
The contracts cover 145,000 UAW members.
In the live update, Fain called on three plants to go on strike at midnight.
"If we need to go all out, we will," Fain said in the update.
Some UAW members called to "stand up" and strike following no agreement. What does that mean?
Fain says rather than all plants entering a strike at midnight, only a few are called to participate. Facilities that were not called on Thursday will work under an expired agreement with no contract extension.
"Management cannot change terms and conditions of work in your workplace. You do not become an employee at will. You cannot be fired or disciplined for no reason," Fain said a few hours before the strike.
"The strategy will keep the companies guessing. It will give our national negotiators maximum leverage and flexibility in bargaining. And if we need to go all out, we will."
These are the vehicles most impacted by the UAW strike
The United Auto Workers strike is starting at three plants that produce a range of popular SUVs, pickup trucks and vans important to the automakers' bottom lines.
A lengthy strike of four weeks or more could impact production and ultimately delay the goal of the Big Three automakers — General Motors, Ford and Stellantis (which owns Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM, along with major foreign brands including Citroën, Peugeot and Maserati) — to ramp up production of electric vehicles, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said in a Friday research report.
At the moment, the strike is strategically limited to three plants: A Ford assembly plant in Wayne, Michigan; a GM assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri; and a Stellantis assembly complex in Toledo, Ohio. If the strike stretches on, dealer lots that sell existing inventory to customers will be unable to replenish their stock with new vehicles.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters joins UAW picket line at Ford Assembly Plant
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters joined UAW members on the picket line outside of the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne Friday following the historic strike that saw UAW members walk out on all of Detroit's Big Three automakers simultaneously.
UAW members are seeking a wage increase, better benefits, and a return to a traditional pension.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters joined UAW members on the picket line outside the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne Friday.
"What the UAW is doing is about standing up to the middle class. These workers here sacrificed a lot back in 2008 and 2009 when the auto industry was in real serious trouble. They sacrificed, and now things have turned around," Peters said. "There's record profits right now. You're seeing the executives earning record pay. Workers need to be able to share in that as well and have fair wages.
"I think there is a lot going on at the bargaining table, right now, back and forth, and we support that collective bargaining as to where they got to get to. But clearly, there's still a gap there that needs to be filled, but the UAW is right to say they need fair wages. They want to share when the times are good, just like when they sacrificed when times are bad.
"The one thing we know about the union movement is that when unions are successful, all of America is successful, and right now, it hasn't been stacked in favor of the American middle class. This is why labor unions now have public support equal to what it was back in the 1960s when labor was strong, and when we had contracts. But since that time, we've seen CEO pay skyrocket while middle-class wages have stagnated. And when the UAW is successful here we, and we're going to fight to make sure they are successful, that usually means higher wages for everybody in the economy, and everybody starts getting their share."
31-year-old Genesee County man charged with threatening UAW President Shawn Fain
A 31-year-old Davison Township man has been charged with two felonies after allegedly sending threatening text messages to UAW President Shawn Fain, authorities said.
Zachary David White has been charged with false report or threat of terrorism, a 20-year felony, and false report or threat of bomb/harmful device, a four-year felony.
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson says at about 3:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13, White allegedly sent threatening text messages to Fain's cell phone.
"I am not going to second guess Mr. White's intentions nor am I going to view his messages as idle threats," said Prosecutor Leyton after announcing the charges. "Such tactics, no matter the reason, are uncalled for, inappropriate, dangerous and against the
law," he said. I want to commend Sheriff Swanson and his team for their immediate attention to this matter and for their thorough investigation in coordination with the security services of the UAW."
White is scheduled to be arraigned in Flint.
Ford says 600 workers temporarily laid off due to Michigan Assembly Plant strike
Ford Motor Company announced Friday that approximately 600 workers at the Michigan Assembly Plant have been temporarily laid off amid the United Auto Workers strike.
In a statement, the company says the workers laid off are at the plant's body construction department and south sub-assembly area of integrated stamping.
Those workers were instructed not to report to work on Friday.
"Our production system is highly interconnected, which means the UAW's targeted strike strategy will have knock-on effects for facilities that are not directly targeted for a work stoppage. In this case, the strike at Michigan Assembly Plant's final assembly and paint departments has directly impacted the operations in other parts of the facility," read the statement.
"This is not a lockout. This layoff is a consequence of the strike at Michigan Assembly Plant's final assembly and paint departments because the components built by these 600 employees use materials that must be e-coated for protection. E-coating is completed in the paint department, which is on strike."
