UAW Union Approves Potential Strike At Ford, GM And Stellantis—Here’s What A Strike Would Mean

Members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union voted overwhelmingly Friday morning for a possible strike at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis—the maker of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep—setting the stage for a potential major strike at the country’s three biggest automakers, four years after a strike at GM cost the automaker nearly $4 billion.

Roughly 97% of union members at the three companies voted in favor of authorizing a strike, allowing the union to move forward with a strike if the so-called Big Three automakers “refuse to reach a fair deal,” according to a press release from UAW—though the overwhelming vote in favor of authorization does not mean the union will call for a strike.

UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement the union’s leadership is “clearly fed up with living paycheck-to-paycheck while the corporate elite and billionaire class continue to make out like bandits.”