LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — All day long members of the United Auto Workers Union trickled in to vote on whether to authorize a strike. This comes as the contract expiration date looms between the union and the big three automakers.
Members of the Local 686 UAW Chapter in Lockport made their voices heard on Wednesday.
"Get your act together and give our workers a living wage so this country can prosper and thrive," one member said.
Members are voting to potentially go on strike against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler. Workers are seeking better pay and benefits.
"The middle class is under attack and at some point, you have to draw the line in the sand and dig your feet in and say enough is enough," another member added.
The frustrations are widespread for the nearly 150,000 UAW members across the country.
As union members wait for the results from this week's vote, we spoke with Arthur Wheaton, the Director of Labor Studies with Cornell University IRL school, to understand what could happen next.
"Whether it's going to be 90, 95 percent, that should be full, full support from the membership saying, 'Yes, we need our bargaining team to have the leverage, so yes you'll have the ability to call for a strike,'" Wheaton said.
7 News' Kristen Mirand asked what kind of ripple effect could this have if they vote to strike.
"It can have different impacts depending on what the UAW decides," Wheaton said, "My money's on them striking against Stellantis which is the most profitable and the most problematic."
7 News did reach out to all three automakers for comment on the vote.
“Ford is proud to build more vehicles in America and employ more UAW-represented hourly workers in America than any other automaker. We look forward to working with the UAW on creative solutions during this time when our dramatically changing industry needs a skilled and competitive workforce more than ever.”
“We've been working hard with the UAW every day to ensure we get this agreement right for all our stakeholders. We know that our U.S. economic impact supports more than six jobs for every job created by GM. We take that responsibility very seriously, and we continue to bargain in good faith each day to support our team members, our customers and dealers, the community, our suppliers, and the business.”
Stellantis did not respond for comment.
The union contract expires September 14th. Wheaton said if the members vote yes and no one comes to an agreement — the strike could happen that next day.
