Arlington auto workers won’t be called to immediately strike, union president announces

Arlington auto workers weren't called to strike right away

The United Auto Workers union says it will go on strike at three factories as it presses Detroit companies to come up with better wage and benefit offers. But to the disappointment of many workers, that does not include the Arlington plant.

ARLINGTON, Texas - The United Auto Workers union says it will go on strike at three factories as it presses Detroit companies to come up with better wage and benefit offers. But to the disappointment of many North Texas workers, that does not include the Arlington plant.

The factories include a General Motors assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri, a Ford factory in Wayne Michigan, and a Stellantis Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio.

Contracts between 150,000 auto workers and the companies are set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. Despite increased offers from Ford and GM, it appears that no deals will be reached before the deadline.

UAW President Shawn Fain said Thursday night that more factories could be added to the strike list if negotiations don’t go the union’s way.

UAW Local 276 represents GM workers in Arlington. Its 5,000 members were not called to strike. Many of the workers were visibly upset Thursday night during the announcement because they say if there’s going to be a strike, they wanted to be involved from the beginning.

Keith Crowell is the union president of UAW Local 276. He said he was surprised by the decision.

"We make the full-size SUV. We know who we are. We know who we are to GM, and we’ve had enough. We want our fair share, and that’s what the angst is about," he said. "We’re ready to get in this fight, and we want our fair wages and we want job security, and we want to end the two-tier system."

The workers in Arlington could be asked to strike in the coming days or weeks if no deal is reached.

The union includes auto workers from Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis – the owner of Chrysler and related brands.

The union wants double-digit pay raises in the mid-30% range, enhanced profit sharing and more.

"They nickel and dime our workers every day," Fain said.

Auto workers at Arlington plant prepare to strike

Contract negotiations between the UAW and three major automakers are coming down to the wire. They'll have to reach a deal by the end of the day to avoid a potential strike.

GM said it is bargaining in "good faith" with "historic wage increases and manufacturing commitments."

"Our customers are absolutely counting on it. They’re counting on all of us," General Motors President Mark Reuss said.

"And not just our customers, Mark, for every job that GM creates, we support over six jobs across the country. What we do matters," added Gerald Johnson, executive vice president of GM global manufacturing and sustainability.

But all parties appear to be far apart on a deal.

If a strike against all three companies lasts just 10 days, it’s estimated to cost $1 billion. In 2019, a 40-day UAW strike resulted in GM losing $3.6 billion.

Experts said it will impact suppliers and trickle down to customers.

"Everything, of course, depends on how long the strike lasts," SMU economics professor Michael Davis said. "A lot of strikes, you know, they’re over in a week or two weeks, something like that. If this strike does for whatever reason go on longer, I think the first thing you’re going to see is you know a backlog of orders for these kinds of cars."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.