UAW, automakers to resume bargaining Saturday, as Ford and GM cut back

UAW member Tasha Johnson leads a chant at a union rally in Detroit on Friday. (AP)

DETROIT — The United Auto Workers said it plans to resume bargaining on Saturday after the union launched simultaneous strikes at three factories owned by General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler parent Stellantis on Friday.

The walkouts at the Detroit Three by 12,700 workers, kicking off the most ambitious U.S. industrial labor action in decades, are halting production of the Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Colorado, along with other popular models, though the action was smaller than some expected.

The ripple effects of the strike began to spread on Friday, as Ford told 600 workers who are not striking that they should not come to work on Friday and GM told some 2,000 workers at a Kansas car plant that their factory likely would be shut down next week for lack of parts, stemming from a nearby plant being struck.

"We’re not going to wreck the economy. The truth is we are going to wreck the billionaire economy," UAW President Shawn Fain said.

The action caps weeks of clashes between the union and Detroit Three executives over union demands for a bigger share of profits generated by combustion trucks, shorter work weeks, restoration of defined benefit pensions and stronger job security as automakers shift to electric vehicles.

The automakers' previous contract expired at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday. Fain said the union will hold off more costly company-wide strikes for now, but all options are open.

President Joe Biden, who faces re-election next year, called for the auto companies to reward workers just as executives' salaries have risen. "No one wants a strike, but I respect workers' right to use their options," Biden said, echoing statements from union leaders. "The companies have made some significant offers but I believe they should go further to ensure record corporate profits mean record contracts."

Dozens of workers picketed the main entrance at Ford’s Michigan assembly plant in Wayne on Friday as many passing drivers blew their horns in solidarity.

Workers said they have been hurt by a series of changes to their contract and work rules over the past 15 years which have shifted risks to "tier two" workers. Those employees can make only half the hourly wages of senior UAW workers and face a longer climb to reach the highest pay under the expired contract.