Talks went nowhere in hours before strike deadline

Negotiators from the Detroit 3 made little progress reaching new contracts with the UAW at the bargaining table in the hours before Thursday night’s deadline, in part because the head of the union spent much of the night elsewhere.

Stellantis, one of the two automakers the UAW in August accused of bargaining unfairly, shot back at the union early Friday, suggesting that its leaders showed little interest in reaching a deal as the strike deadline arrived.

"We are extremely disappointed by the UAW leadership's refusal to engage in a responsible manner to reach a fair agreement in the best interest of our employees, their families and our customers," Stellantis said in a statement after the union began striking its Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio.

The UAW filed unfair labor practices charges Aug. 31 against Stellantis and General Motors, arguing that the companies were moving too slowly.

GM, in a statement issued after workers at its plant in Wentzville, Mo., were called out on strike, said the company was "disappointed by the UAW leadership's actions, despite the unprecedented economic package GM put on the table, including historic wage increases and manufacturing commitments."

In a video posted online, GM's top global manufacturing executive, Gerald Johnson, said the automaker submitted "four compelling offers" to the union.

Ford said it never received a "substantive counterproposal" from the UAW until 8 p.m. Thursday, four hours before the strike began. It called that offer "unsustainable" and said it "showed little movement from the union's initial demands submitted Aug. 3."

A source with knowledge of the negotiations said UAW President Shawn Fain appeared at the Ford bargaining table for the 8 p.m. offer but did not stay to continue the talks.

Fain then went on Facebook Live at 10 p.m. to announce the three plants being ordered to strike. He arrived at Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant, about a 40-minute drive from the UAW's headquarters, where negotiations were taking place Thursday, shortly after midnight to join the workers on strike.

"They've had our economic demands for six weeks," Fain told reporters outside the plant. "They waited until the last week to want to get down to business. Shame on them, and what they’re saying’s complete BS.”

Before the strike, Fain said the union would not meet with the automakers Friday if negotiations remained unresolved. Instead, he and other union officials planned to visit picket lines and hold a rally with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in downtown Detroit.