UAW Sets New Deadline to Escalate Strike If No Breakthrough in Talks

The UAW has set a new deadline of noon on Friday, Sept. 22, for expanding its strikes at Detroit’s Big Three if there’s no “serious progress” in talks.

United Auto Workers (UAW) president Shawn Fain speaks with members of the media and members of the UAW outside of the UAW Local 900 headquarters across the street from the Ford Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., on Sept. 15, 2023. Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images

The United Auto Workers (UAW) and Detroit’s Big Three automakers remained far apart in talks on a new round of four-year labor contracts on Wednesday, as union leaders set a tight Friday deadline for “serious progress” in negotiations or they'll expand the strike with new work stoppages.

There was no sign of a breakthrough in talks on Wednesday between representatives of the UAW and Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. The automakers seemed to become increasingly vocal in their reluctance to accept the union’s eye-watering demands for a 40-percent or so pay hike.