'Worked to death': UAW president urges authorizing strike for Big 3 workers

UAW president's tough talk applies pressure on Big 3 negotiations

This comes two weeks after union leadership presented their demands for a new contract to the Big Three with only a month left on the current deal.

FOX 2 (WJBK) - United Auto Workers Union President Shawn Fain was not mincing words in a Facebook Live stream to his over 400,000 active members Tuesday night.

Fain urged them to authorize a strike during a vote next week.

"We are 30 days away and the clock is ticking," he said. "This is our generation’s defining moment and make no mistake management’s watching. The Big 3 CEOs are watching, the White House is watching."

This comes two weeks after union leadership presented their demands for a new contract to the Big Three with only a month left on the current deal.

The UAW has been pushing for a 46 percent wage hike over four years - with 20 percent of that coming upfront, blaming inflation.

"GM has responded to our demands by saying that our demands for fair wages, cost of living, retirement security and more paid time-off are a threat to our collective future," Fain said. "Stellantis even went further. COO Mark Stewart wrote a patronizing letter to our members saying we need to tone down our demands in the name of 'economic realism.'"

Stellantis responded to the Union in a statement sent to Fox 2 saying quote:

"The discussions between the Company and the UAW’s bargaining team continue to be constructive and collaborative with a focus on reaching a new agreement that balances the concerns of our 43,000 employees with our vision for the future – one that better positions the business to meet the challenges of the U.S. marketplace and secures the future for all of our employees, their families and our company."

GM management is also weighing in by saying:

"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 6 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, the community and the business."

The union is working to protect jobs during the transition to electric vehicles but it says rank-and-file members are getting lost in the heat of corporate competition.

Many have been working in "critical status" the UAW says, on the job 90 days straight with 12-hour shifts and no days off.

"The Big 3 are not only robbing us of our profits, they are robbing us of our lives and our health," Fain said. "We’re literally being worked to death."