Elon Musk, the Tesla chief executive, may be able to exploit his rivals’ weaknesses, but the United Auto Workers union also has the electric carmaker in its sights.
Autoworkers want, and deserve, a big raise. But they are asking for too much.
Experts on unions and the industry said the U.A.W. strike could accelerate a wave of worker actions, or stifle labor’s recent momentum.
The U.A.W. returned to the bargaining table on Sunday after its president warned, “We’re going to amp this thing up” if the car companies don’t improve their offers.
Carmakers are anxious to keep costs down as they ramp up electric vehicle manufacturing, while striking workers want to preserve jobs as the industry shifts to batteries.
The union targeted one factory run by General Motors, one by Ford and one by Stellantis. Prolonged walkouts could hurt the U.S. economy and President Biden.
El sindicato y General Motors, Ford Motor y Stellantis siguen teniendo grandes diferencias en materia de salarios.
The three established U.S. automakers could struggle to get new cars and trucks to dealerships and customers during a prolonged strike that slows or stops production lines.
U.A.W. workers could strike as soon as Friday. The union and the carmakers remain far apart on wages.
A looming auto industry strike could test the president’s commitment to making electric vehicles a source of well-paying union jobs.