The United Auto Workers expanded its strike on Detroit's automakers for the second time in as many days as 5,000 members walked out of a General Motors plant producing some of its most profitable vehicles.
GM's Arlington assembly plant in Texas makes the Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade large sport-utility vehicles.
The move, which brings the total number of striking workers to more than 45,000 across the three major Detroit automakers, comes several hours after GM reported quarterly earnings that beat Wall Street's expectations.
"Another record quarter, another record year. As we've said for months: record profits equal record contracts," UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement Tuesday. "It's time GM workers, and the whole working class, get their fair share."
GM said in a statement that it's "disappointed by the escalation of this unnecessary and irresponsible strike." The company said it made a "comprehensive offer" last week to the union that increased the total value by about 25%.
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The latest walkout follows the UAW's decision Monday to strike Stellantis NV's Ram pickup truck factory in Michigan, the automaker's largest and most profitable plant. It is part of a plan by Fain to ratchet up pressure on the automakers as he attempts to improve economic offers that include a 23% wage increase from all three companies. The union is demanding they increase that raise offer to 25%, Bloomberg has reported.
The union now has shut down the Detroit automakers' three most profitable plants, beginning with the Oct. 11 walkout at Ford Motor's Kentucky truck plant that builds F-Series Super Duty pickups and big SUVs. Ford said that plant generates $25 billion a year in revenue.
