Auto workers and the top three Detroit carmakers are hurtling towards a strike that could deliver a multibillion-dollar blow to the US economy and complicate Joe Biden’s re-election campaign.
Two months into bargaining and the United Auto Workers and manufacturers remain far apart on how much the 150,000 autoworkers at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis should be paid. The current contract expires at 11:59 pm on Thursday, raising the possibility that the UAW could launch a strike against one, two or all three carmakers.
It has never struck against all three in its 88-year history. A 10-day strike against them all has the potential to cause a $5 billion economic loss, costing both strikers and manufacturers hundreds of millions, according to Michigan consultancy Anderson Economic Group. It also could create problems for Biden, who has touted his pro-labor credentials, by forcing him to publicly pick a side in a dispute.