DETROIT – As negotiations continue amid the United Auto Workers union strike against Detroit’s Big Three automakers, the companies have continued to lay off employees, blaming the strike.
Across Stellantis, General Motors and Ford, just under 5,000 employees have been laid off nationwide as the UAW’s auto strike enters its fourth week. Talks have made progress, with the carmakers reportedly getting closer to the union’s aggressive list of demands, but no deals have been made yet with any of the companies.
About 25,000 of the union’s 146,000 autoworkers were striking at 43 facilities across the U.S. as of Wednesday. UAW leaders have been targeting strikes at increasingly valuable locations in an effort to create leverage with the carmakers as the union works to obtain a significant wage increase and better benefits for autoworkers.
In response to the growing strike, all three automakers have laid off a number of employees, citing issues related to the strike. GM has laid off the most employees so far, though the numbers have been fluctuating.
The UAW argues that the Big Three has more than enough money to keep everyone on their payroll amid the strike, and that layoffs are not necessary. UAW President Shawn Fain said the companies are using layoffs to try to “put the squeeze on our members to settle for less.”
Here’s a breakdown of the layoffs by company as of Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023:
Stellantis layoffs
Stellantis has laid off a total of 1,340 autoworkers. The company said the layoffs were a direct consequence of the UAW strike, and that the company has storage constraints -- meaning too many parts to store.
Layoffs affected Stellantis workers at the following facilities:
- Trenton Engine: 520 workers
- Kokomo Casting & Kokomo Transmission: 750 workers
- Toledo Machining: 70 workers
About 300 autoworkers who were laid off from Kokomo Transmission in Kokomo, Indiana went back to work this week.
GM layoffs
So far, GM is only automaker to close an entire assembly plant because of the strike. A total of 2,306 employees were laid off from various facilities.
Layoffs affected GM workers at the following facilities:
- Fairfax, KS Assembly: All 1,585 workers
- Lockport Components: 48 workers
- Toledo Propulsion: 426 workers
- Marion Metal: 47 workers
- Parma Metal: 130 workers
- Lansing Stamping: 70 workers
Ford layoffs
Ford has laid off a total of 2,480 workers as of Saturday, and has said that because its production system is interconnected, the strike is impacting facilities and departments that aren’t directly targeted by the UAW.
Layoffs affected Ford workers at the following facilities:
- Michigan Assembly: 600 workers
- Lima Engine: 184 workers
- Sterling Michigan Axle: 162 workers
- Chicago Stamping: 255 workers
- Livonia Transmission: 391 workers
- Cleveland Engine: 372 workers
- Dearborn Stamping: 100 workers
- Dearborn Diversified Manufacturing: 65 workers
- Rawsonville Components: 45 workers
- Sharonville Transmission: 306 workers
The UAW’s auto strike grew after starting with only three facilities on Sept. 15, but the strike has not expanded since Friday, Sept. 29.
It’s currently unclear if UAW President Fain will decide to expand the strike again this week, as he has often done during his weekly negotiation updates. An update has not yet been scheduled for Friday, Oct. 13, but it’s likely Fain will address members in some way.
Before the strike began, the UAW had about $825 million in its strike fund to help pay members on the picket line while they’re not working. The union is using this fund to pay laid-off workers, too.
---> UAW auto strike: Week 4 begins on more positive note; Nearing ‘record contract?’