UAW to strike at three plants at midnight, barring deal

The United Auto Workers union plans to walk off the job at three plants in Michigan, Ohio and Missouri beginning at midnight Thursday, barring an eleventh-hour deal with Ford, GM and Stellantis.

The strike will initially target GM’s Wentzville Assembly plant in Missouri, Stellantis’ Toledo Assembly in Ohio and Ford’s Michigan Assembly in Wayne, Mich., UAW President Shawn Fain announced on a live stream Thursday night.

Union members at other facilities will continue working without a contract for the time being, Fain said. The strike would only target final assembly and paint at the Ford facility, he added.

The strike would mark the first against all three major Detroit automakers simultaneously, though initially limiting the strike to the three facilities — rather than the union’s entire 150,000 members — will dampen its short-term economic impact.

“This strategy will keep the companies guessing. It will give our national negotiators maximum leverage and flexibility in bargaining,” Fain said. “If we need to go out, we will.”