UAW expands GM walkout after deal to end Stellantis strike
By David Shepardson and Joseph White
(Reuters) -The United Auto Workers on Saturday expanded its strike against General Motors (NYSE:GM) to include its Spring Hill, Tennessee, engine plant, a move that could stall GM's large pickup production and increase its financial pain.
The expansion of the seven-week strike leaves GM the only Detroit automaker without a contract deal. Chrysler-owner Stellantis (NYSE:STLA) reached agreement with the UAW on Saturday and Ford (NYSE:F) on Wednesday.
Those deals won workers a record 25% jump in wages over the 4-1/2-year contract and allow the companies to restart their profitable truck assembly lines.
At GM, people familiar with the bargaining said sticking points in the UAW negotiations include retirement benefits and issues related to temporary workers. GM has more retirees than either Ford or Stellantis and increases to pension benefits for workers hired before 2007 cost GM more than its rivals.
«We are disappointed by GM's unnecessary and irresponsible refusal to come to a fair agreement,» UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement to Reuters.
GM said in a statement that two of its large pickup plants could be affected by the Spring Hill walkout and that it wanted to reach an agreement quickly.
The UAW is already striking at GM's Arlington, Texas, assembly plant, which makes the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban and Cadillac Escalade. GM said earlier this week that this walkout was costing it $400 million a week.
The Spring Hill plant, which employs 4,000 workers, supplies motors to nine assembly plants that build several of the automaker's best-selling and most profitable vehicles.
UAW lawyer Benjamin Dictor said in a social media post: «Imagine, everyone is making trucks but you. If
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