Auto workers in Michigan are preparing to walk off the job at midnight following a strike order from United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain on Sunday.
The work stoppage will affect a Three Rivers, Michigan facility operated by Dauch Corp, which manufactures axles for General Motors pickup trucks – among the automaker’s highest-earning vehicles.
The Detroit-based union announced the midnight strike late Sunday, targeting the plant that employs roughly 1,000 unionized workers. Dauch Corp, previously known as American Axle, specializes in producing driveline components.
Company representatives from Dauch were not available for immediate response Sunday evening.
General Motors stated it was keeping close watch on developments and “assessing any potential impact.”
Union officials say they are demanding better wages after workers accepted concessions to prevent the facility’s closure in 2008. Current maximum pay reaches $22 per hour following a five-year advancement timeline, representing a decrease from peak wages of $29 hourly in 2008, union representatives reported. Workers overwhelmingly supported strike authorization in early May, with 98% approval.
“For 18 years, these members have built you an empire of profit while getting treated like dirt. They’ve taken wage cuts, benefit cuts, they poured their souls into this plant,” Fain said on a livestream announcing the midnight strike.
