Sawt Falasteen - US auto strike expands with 7,000 more workers joining

United Auto Workers' president Shawn Fain urged workers at Ford and General Motors (GM) plants in Chicago and Michigan to join the first ever joint strike at the "Big Three" Detroit automakers -- Ford, GM and Stellantis -- in a push for higher salaries and other improvements.

"I'm calling on Ford's Chicago assembly plant to stand up and go on strike, and I'm calling on GM's Lansing Delta Township to stand up and go out on strike," Fain said in a message live-streamed on YouTube earlier in the day.

"Our courageous members at these two plants are the next wave of reinforcements in our fight for record contracts," he added.

The walkout began as planned at noon Eastern Time (1600 GMT), a UAW official told AFP.

The union has asked for a 40 percent pay raise over the next four-year contract, while the three companies have been offering raises of around 20 percent.

UAW has used the targeted strike, which began on September 15, as a bargaining chip, ramping up the pressure on the three auto makers to reach a deal.

Friday's industrial action brings the number of UAW members on strike in 21 states across the country to more than 25,000 workers -- or around 17 percent of the membership.

- No 'comprehensive counteroffer' -

In a statement, GM's executive vice president for global manufacturing, Gerald Johnson, said the auto giant had yet to receive a "comprehensive counteroffer from UAW leadership" to its latest proposal.

"We continue to stand ready and willing to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that benefits you and doesn't let the non-union manufacturers win," he said.

Ford said in a statement that its president would provide an update on the status of negotiations later in the day.

In his speech, Fain did not call on any additional members working for Chrysler producer Stellantis to go on strike, citing "significant progress" in negotiations.

"We are excited about this momentum at Stellantis and hope it continues," he said.

"Until then, we will keep building our arsenal of democracy and we will win," he added.

- The strike gets political -

The strike has ramped up the significance of Michigan's swing state status in the 2024 presidential election.

Earlier this week, Joe Biden became the first sitting US president to stand on a picket line, joining UAW members in Michigan in a bold pitch for blue collar votes against likely election rival Donald Trump.

Wearing a United Auto Workers (UAW) union baseball cap, the Democrat used a bullhorn to tell red-shirted employees they deserved "a hell of a lot more than what you're getting."

Former Republican president Donald Trump also traveled to Michigan this week to address a rally.

On Friday, Fain called Biden's visit a "historic day."

"The most powerful man in the world shows up for one reason only," he said. "Because our solidarity is the most powerful force in the world."

"When we stand together united in the cause of economic and social justice, there's nothing we can't do," he added.

Y.Zaher--SF-PST