The UAW is now equipped to use a strike against the Big Three thanks to an overwhelming vote by its members.
“The union on Friday said an average of 97% of combined members at the automakers approved the action, however final votes are still being tallied. That’s in line with support during negotiations four years ago, when 96% of workers who voted supported authorization for a strike.
The ‘strike authorization vote’ is part of the union’s constitution and viewed as a procedural step in the negotiations. The voting results are historically high in support of the authorization. The vote does not mean there will or will not be a strike.
‘Our goal is not to strike. I want to make that very clear. Our goal is to bargain good agreements for our members,’ UAW President Shawn Fain said Friday during a Facebook Live. ‘But all we’ve tried to do with this is prepare everybody in the event that we have to take action to get a fair and just contract.’
However, Fain has been far more vocal than past union leaders about its ability to use striking as a weapon in its arsenal against the companies during the negotiations.
‘The Big Three is our strike target. And whether or not there’s a strike — it’s up to Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, because they know what our priorities are. We’ve been clear,’ Fain has said.”
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