UAW strike: 5,000 workers at General Motors plant walk out

Thousands of members of the United Auto Workers union walked off the job at General Motors’ Arlington Assembly plant in Texas on Tuesday as strikes against Detroit’s Big Three automakers continue.

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Union officials announced the newest additions to the strike in social media posts, saying that employees were “shutting down production at General Motors’ largest plant and biggest moneymaker.”

Workers at the plant build full-size SUVs for sale worldwide, including Chevrolet’s Tahoe and Suburban models, the GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalades. In April, the plant produced a record-breaking 34,000 SUVs, according to GM.

The decision to expand strikes against the car company came hours after officials announced third-quarter profits that beat expectations, Reuters reported. In a statement, UAW President Shawn Fain pointed to the earnings report, saying, “It’s time GM workers, and the whole working class, get their fair share.”

“Another record quarter, another record year,” he said. “As we’ve said for months: record profits equal record contracts.”

Officials with GM said that in the third quarter, the ongoing strikes cost the company about $200 million from three assembly plants shut down by walkouts, the Detroit Free Press reported. Excluding the impact of Tuesday’s walkout, the company estimated the strike would cost $200 million per week, according to the newspaper.

Tuesday’s walkouts come after UAW announced that 6,800 workers at Stellantis’ Sterling Heights Assembly Plant joined the strike, which is entering its sixth week. So far, more than 45,000 GM, Stellantis and Ford employees have walked off the job since the strike began Sept. 15 at three of the automakers’ plants.

Union officials are pushing to get employees more pay and better benefits. Automakers have argued that they can’t afford to meet UAW’s demands.