United Auto Workers Clear Path to Strike If Talks Fail
- Move aims to give union leaders leverage in contract talks
- Standoff threatens to shut down major part of US economy
An person holds a United Auto Workers sign during a 2018 campaign rally in Racine, Wisconsin.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/BloombergThe United Auto Workers gave union leaders permission to call a strike against the biggest US carmakers if they fail to agree on a new contract before Sept. 15, a procedural formality that sets the stage for three weeks of tough negotiations.
An overwhelming majority of the rank and file at each company voted to authorize a potential strike, the UAW said Friday, a move intended to give union leaders more leverage at the bargaining table. Newly elected UAW President Shawn Fain has suggested that if Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Stellantis NV don’t give up more ground, the union could break with tradition by striking at all three companies instead of just targeting one.