The UAW began a limited work stoppage Friday affecting only three plants but for the first time targeted all of Detroit’s car companies simultaneously.
The automakers argue that meeting the union’s demands for as much as a 40 percent wage increase would drive the companies towards bankruptcy.
Union officials counter the automakers are making record profits and can afford to pay workers who took cuts to keep the companies afloat.
Over the weekend UAW President Shawn Fain said negotiations were proceeding at a slow pace, noting some progress in talks with Ford while rejecting a recent offer from Stellantis.
President Biden says he supports the union, but the UAW has raised concerns over his push for automakers to embrace electric vehicles.
Michigan Republican Congresswoman Lisa McClain, for one, says Biden is “Putting climate change policies over people.”
