LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- More than 49,000 GM workers across the country went on strike at midnight after their union failed to reach an agreement in their four-year contract currently being negotiated.
Thirty-three manufacturing plants in nine states are affected, including the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green.
UAW workers have been picketing outside the Corvette plant in Bowling Green since midnight, at one point backing up traffic across a road until police came to let traffic through.
This is the first time GM workers have gone on strike since 2007, when production stopped for two days. Workers say they deserve a bigger share in GM’s profits, want better job protections in factories that are at risk of closing and want improvements in healthcare coverage.
GM has responded, saying they’ve pledged higher wages and $7 billion in factory investments.
Union shop chairman Jason Watson said that’s not the whole story.
“We reached an impasse on major, major issues, that, again, the company’s probably not going to comment on, because of their, obviously, unwillingness to compromise on some of those issues,” Watson said.
“A strike is not good for anyone at all,” said UAW Local Chapter President Jack Bowers. “Not us, not the community, the whole ball of wax. It’s all bad. So, I want to get back to work but I want to get back to work fairly. I want my brothers and sisters treated right, we want fair and equitable wages, and let’s get back to work. Let’s do what we do.”
Negotiations between GM and UAW started again Monday morning at 10 a.m.