UAW says its 49K members at GM plants will go on strike

DETROIT >> The United Auto Workers union announced that its roughly 49,000 members at General Motors plants in the U.S. will go on strike Sunday night because contract negotiations with the automaker had broken down.

The decision came after about 200 plant-level union leaders voted unanimously in favor of a walkout during a meeting Sunday morning in Detroit.

“We stood up for General Motors when they needed us most. Now we are standing together in unity and solidarity for our members,” union Vice President Terry Dittes said in a statement.

It’s still possible that bargainers could return to the table and hammer out an agreement, but union spokesman Brian Rothenberg said at a news conference that it would be unlikely. He said it would be hard to believe that the bargainers could resolve so many issues before 11:59 p.m.

The announcement came hours after the union let its contract with GM expire Saturday night.

In a statement, GM said it offered improved wages, benefits and additional U.S. jobs.

“It is disappointing that the UAW leadership has chosen to strike at midnight tonight. We have negotiated in good faith and with a sense of urgency. Our goal remains to build a strong future for our employees and our business,” the company said.

Among the things GM offered was that it would start making new products at plants it currently plans to close in Detroit and Lordstown, Ohio, according to a person who was briefed on the negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to disclose details of the proposal, which haven’t been made public.

GM offered to build a new all-electric pickup truck at the Detroit factory in Detroit is slated to close next year. The Lordstown plant, which already has stopped making cars, would make become a battery manufacturing plant and might produce electric vehicles for a company called Workhorse, the person said.

On Saturday, UAW Vice President Terry Dittes said in a letter to GM members that after months of bargaining, both the union and GM were far apart on issues such as wages, health care, temporary employees, job security and profit-sharing. The letter to members and another one to GM were aimed at turning up the pressure on GM negotiators.

“While we are fighting for better wages, affordable quality health care, and job security, GM refuses to put hard working Americans ahead of their record profits,” Dittes, the union’s chief bargainer with GM, said in a statement Saturday night.

A strike by 49,200 union workers would bring to a halt GM’s U.S. production, and would likely stop the company from making vehicles in Canada and Mexico as well. That would mean fewer vehicles for consumers to choose from on dealer lots, and it would make it impossible to build specially ordered cars and trucks.