United Auto Workers are on strike, what are their demands?

By Tom Hall,

Teria Rogers, Sam Bermas-Dawes, Malarie Pinkard-Pierre

Published September 20, 2023 at 12:05 PM EDT

United Auto Workers members walk the picket line at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. So far the strike is limited to about 13,000 workers at three factories — one each at GM, Ford and Stellantis. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) — United Auto Workers members walk the picket line at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. So far the strike is limited to about 13,000 workers at three factories — one each at GM, Ford and Stellantis.

About 13,000 auto workers went on strike at four plants in Missouri, Michigan and Ohio last Friday morning. So far, only a fraction of the United Auto Workers' 146,000 members have been called to strike, but more plants could strike Friday if talks don’t produce progress.

Does the strategy of striking on only certain auto plants increase the union’s leverage against the big three automakers, Ford, GM and Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler?

The Wilson family on the line in Wentzville, MO!
Stand up for our families. Stand up for our communities. Stand up for economic justice.#StandUpUAW @uaw2250 pic.twitter.com/teklp8S1YF
— UAW (@UAW) September 20, 2023

Joining Tom to talk about that strategy and to put this historic strike in context is Andrew Ziaja, a labor lawyer and law professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law.