(WWJ) UAW President Shawn Fain is speaking out about claims of violence targeting striking autoworkers on the picket lines.
Workers at 41 General Motors, Stellantis and Ford 41 plants and parts distribution centers, including 15 in Michigan, are picketing as the strike against the Big Three hits the two-week mark.
In a social media message posted Thursday, Fain said: "This week, we've received some shocking reports of violence against our members on the picket line. In Flint, a non-union contractor driving a large SUV was leaving a General Motors parts depot when they sped up and hit five of our members, sending two the hospital in an ambulance. These cowards then immediately fled the scene."
In another incident in California, Fain said guns was pointed at strikers by non-union contractors crossing the line at a Stellantis parts depot. And in Massachusetts, Fain said two people were hit by cars outside a Stellantis facility.
Fain said the UAW condemns the violence that he claims GM and Stellantis are enabling.
"Shame on GM and Stellantis for hiring scab contractors and standing idly by as they injure and threaten the lives of their own employees," Fain said, adding that the UAW, "will not tolerate violence against our picket lines from the companies or the scabs they hire."
"Shame on these companies for hiring violent scabs to try to break our strike," Fain said. "This isn't just an attack on the UAW; it's an attack on every worker who choses to stand up to demand more for their families and themselves. It's an attack on the working class and the fight for our future."
Officials at GM have said they are not using replacement workers, but did acknowledge that the Flint incident involved a contractor.
WWJ's Jeff Gilbert reports that a source at Stellantis, meanwhile, claims there also have been incidents in which strikers have harassed non-union workers, flattening tires and even yelling racial slurs.
Both GM and Stellantis said they take the safety of all of their employees seriously.
Fain is expected to announce the next round of plants to go on strike at 10 a.m. Friday, if no deal is reached before that time.
The union and automakers still remain at odds over wage increases, cost of living adjustments and other improvements, including pensions.