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The union's 46,000 hourly workers traveled to 31 GM plants and 21 other facilities in nine states, mainly in the center of the country. This is the biggest strike of any union against any business since the last strike at GM in 2007.
The strike began at 23:59 Sunday night. The two parties did not officially meet on Sunday after the union announced its intention to strike at a press conference in the morning, although union spokesman Brian Rothenberg said the dialogue continued. A new meeting of both parties is scheduled for Monday at 10 am.
The union said GM was putting profits ahead of employees who helped turn the company around when it went bankrupt and rescued the federal government a decade ago.
The company announced that it had made a substantial offer including improved compensation and profit-sharing for union members, as well as investments to create new jobs. He also promised a "solution" for two of the four plants currently on the verge of closing: one in Detroit and another in Lordstown, Ohio.
The company did not say what would be the solution. But a person familiar with GM's bid said the offer included the promise to build a new electric truck in Detroit Hamtramck and to build new batteries for electric vehicles in Lordstown. This work would not start immediately, so the plants would stay dark for a while. Work would begin over the next four years if the offer was accepted.
A source close to the UAW with direct knowledge of the negotiations said most of the publicly disclosed proposals on Sunday were put forward very late Saturday.
GM says its average hourly employee earns about $ 90,000 a year, not counting the benefits. But the number of GM hourly workers has fallen sharply in recent decades, driven by automation, loss of market share, and outsourcing. But GM still builds the vast majority of cars sold on the American market in North America. And there are many more factories in the United States than in Mexico or Canada.
If the union goes on strike, it will be the largest union ever against a US company since the last time UAW members hit GM in 2007.
Experts say the scandal will make it more difficult for union leaders to ratify union members of automakers. Four years ago, all agreements were only concluded with narrow margins, even though there was no scandal at the time.
The last strike of 12 years ago lasted only three days, but some strikes against GM have been going on for months. For many employees hired since 2007, it is their first work stoppage.
Scott McLean of CNN contributed to this report.
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