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Local car dealerships prepare for blowback from UAW strike in U.S.

The United Auto Workers and the big three automakers spent the day trying to come to an agreement.
Yesterday, union members walked out at three plants in Missouri, Ohio, and Michigan, but if the strike keeps going, it could affect us right here in Canada.
Nearly 13,000 United Auto Workers members went on strike Friday after they failed to reach an agreement with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.
Yesterday, some of them marched and rallied in Detroit, Michigan.
READ MORE: UAW strike begins as deadline passes with no agreement
The union has put the brakes on production at three plants producing the Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Colorado among other popular vehicles.
UAW President Shawn Fain says corporate greed is to blame.
“They’ve had a decade of excessive profits, a quarter of trillion dollars in profits, and our members have fallen further and further behind,” Fain said.
The strike may be in the U.S., but members of the auto industry in Canada are keeping a close eye on it.
The Queenston Automotive Group in Hamilton held a car show today with both gas and electric vehicles.
The Director of Fixed Operations at Queenston, Rick Leendertse said they have good inventory right now, but there are other concerns.
“Is the current strike going to affect the industry here? It definitely will. We’ll see a number of back ordered parts, and delays there, but hopefully they will get that rectified and we will be back on the road,” Leendertse said.
If the strike continues, that could mean there’s a boost in sales for electric vehicles.
“Electric vehicles can range from $35,000 to $40,000 all the way up to $150,000-200,000 if you are looking at some high-end vehicles like the Hummer,” Leendertse said.
READ MORE: Canadian auto industry braces for impact as U.S. workers strike
Among several items, the UAW is demanding a 40 per cent hourly wage increase, a 32 hour workweek, a return to traditional pensions and the restoration of cost of living adjustments.
The big three car manufacturers are concerned that those demands would double their labour costs and put them at a disadvantage compared to non-unionized car companies like Toyota and Tesla.
It was just over a decade ago that the big three automakers were on the brink of bankruptcy.
Former president Barack Obama made his sentiments clear Saturday in a post on X, formerly Twitter, saying in part “Fourteen years ago, when the big three automakers were struggling to stay afloat, my administration and the American people stepped in to support them…”
Fourteen years ago, when the big three automakers were struggling to stay afloat, my administration and the American people stepped in to support them. So did the auto workers in the UAW who sacrificed pay and benefits to help get the companies back on their feet. Now that our…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 16, 2023
This is the first time in history that the union has been on strike with all three of America’s unionized automakers at the same time.