20 September 2023
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (WDAF) – The General Motors plant in Kansas City, Kansas, has gone idle Wednesday, leaving thousands without work amid the United Auto Workers strike.
The GM Fairfax plant wasn’t called to strike last week, but its workers have still been impacted. About 2,000 UAW members work at the Fairfax plant.
GM leaders at the Fairfax plant said they it has run out of parts to keep operating and stopped work Wednesday.
The UAW union has members on strike at three factories as it presses Detroit companies to come up with better wage and benefit offers. One of those factories is a GM assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri.
The Wentzville factory supplies critical stampings for Fairfax’s operations, creating a “negative ripple effect,” according to GM.
A spokesman for GM said most UAW workers have already left the KCK plant Wednesday since there is no work available. They’re not expected to return until the situation has resolved.
GM said those workers will not receive company-provided “SUB-pay,” which is sometimes provided during temporary layoffs.
“We have said repeatedly that nobody wins in a strike, and that effects go well beyond our employees on the plant floor and negatively impact our customers, suppliers and the communities where we do business, such as in greater Kansas City,” General Motors said in a statement.
“What happened to our Fairfax team members is a clear and immediate demonstration of that fact. We will continue to bargain in good faith with the union to reach an agreement as quickly as possible.”
WDAF-TV is reaching out to the local UAW chapter for comment on these temporary layoffs.
Contracts between 146,000 auto workers and GM, Ford and Stellantis expired last week.
The union has a list of demands, including 36% pay raises over four years, cost of living raises, and an end to different tiers of wages for workers. Ford and GM are offering 20% during the next contract while Stellantis’ last known offer was 17.5%.
UAW President Shawn Fain said earlier this week that more factories could go on strike if the companies don’t make “serious progress” on negotiating a contract.
During what are expected to be segmented strikes at various plants, striking workers would receive $500 a week.
But that strike fund isn’t bottomless, and Fairfax workers won’t receive strike pay while they’re temporarily laid off. It’s not clear at this time if they’ll be eligible for unemployment.