LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Michael Webber once again called for a fair and good-faith resolution to be reached among the Detroit Three automakers and United Auto Workers after nearly 7,000 employees at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant joined the picket lines Monday as part of the union’s on-going targeted strike strategy.
“As the weeks roll by and the wave of the UAW’s targeted strike swells, the need for a fair and good-faith compromise to be achieved between all parties becomes more and more urgent,” said Webber, R-Rochester Hills. “With the strike now affecting Stellantis’ largest plant, more and more families and local businesses across Macomb and Oakland counties and the entire state — whether directly or indirectly dependent on the auto industry — are feeling the real impact of these long negotiations.”
Stellantis’ Sterling Heights Assembly Plant and Sterling Stamping Plant are located within the 9th Senate District, which is represented by Webber. The district also includes Ford’s Van Dyke Powertrain Center, Transmission Plant Fields and Sterling Axle Plant, where layoffs were announced earlier this month due to strikes in other parts of the country.
The UAW began its historic strike against all three major Detroit automakers for the first time since it was organized 88 years ago on Sept. 15. The targeted strike now includes about 28% of the union’s workforce at seven assembly plants and 38 parts warehouses throughout the United States.
The first four weeks of the strike cost the U.S. economy $7.7 billion, according to Anderson Economic Group.
“The longer this strike continues, the more it will hurt families in Metro Detroit and across all of Michigan,” Webber said. “The well-being of the automotive industry workforce is a vital component of our shared economy and cannot be understated.”
The 9th Senate District, which includes the Greater Rochester Area, Troy, Sterling Heights and Utica, is home to the largest concentration of auto dealerships in the state.
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