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Chicago joins UAW strike, workers speak out
Still no deal between the UAW and two of the big automakers.
CHICAGO - Still no deal between the UAW and two of the big automakers.
Now, the strike is expanding, with workers at a General Motors plant in Michigan and Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant walking off the job. They join members of the Stellantis plant in Naperville and the GM plant in Bolingbrook, as well as dozens of other facilities across the country.
Insiders tell FOX 32 Chicago that Ford and the UAW both made good progress until about 2 a.m. on Friday. That’s when it was decided that 5,000 Chicago Ford workers would walk out of the plant, and over 2,300 in Lansing, Michigan would walk out of GM. That means more than 25,000 employees are now on the picket line.
It’s a sign of solidarity and uncertainty. FOX 32’s camera was there as 5,000 employees that make the Lincoln Navigator and Ford Explorer walked off the job in Chicago, and it’s unknown for how long.
The UAW says the walkout is historic. The last time workers struck from the Ford plant on 130th and Torrence Avenue was more than 50 years ago.
Negotiations haven’t completely fallen apart, but the plant in Chicago still makes vehicles powered by gas, and that’s one of the sticking points according to the union. They say talks broke down over EV production.
"Ford overall is trying to go to EV. If that happens, the plants that don’t build EVs would be out of jobs. There’s no room for the future if they are going electric," said Ayanna Dixon, Union Steward Local 551.
The CEO of Ford, Jim Farley, said he expects the company would be the second-largest US-based producer of EVs behind Tesla but says the company would not cut workers to get there.
"None of our workers today are going to lose their jobs," Farley said.
Employees say when it's all said and done, they deserve better pay and benefits.
The strike is now in its fifteenth day. Negotiations haven’t fallen apart, and the talks continue.