The strike in the automobile industry in the United States has been going on for two weeks now. It is gaining even more momentum. The sector union is increasing pressure on manufacturers.
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With our correspondent in Washington, Guillaume Naudin
Shawn Fain, head of the United Auto Workers union, is still increasing the pressure. Two manufacturers are paying the price. General Motors sees the assembly plant in Lansing, capital of Michigan, being shut down in turn. For Ford, it is the Chicago plant in Illinois, whose workers are walking off the job. It produces popular and iconic models, such as the Interceptor, the vehicle most purchased by the various police forces in the country.
Last week, Ford escaped the ax of the extension of the movement. This week it’s Stellantis, which notably manufactures Jeeps. In total, 25,000 workers out of the nearly 150,000 in the union have now stopped work. The union is demanding wage increases of nearly 40% over four years and a four-day week paid for five days.
For the moment manufacturers, who have reaped record profits in recent months, are refusing, explaining that this would affect their competitiveness and their ability to invest in electricity. The best-selling and most profitable models are still preserved, but the threat is getting closer. “ Our strategy is working, we will win », Explains Shawn Fain to his troops.