STERLING HEIGHTS (WWJ) -- Thousands of autoworkers have walked off the job at the Stellantis Sterling Heights Assembly Plant.
WWJ Newsradio 950 got a call from a Stellantis employee who said he and his co-workers got a text messafe instructing them to walk out, just after 10 a.m. Monday.
WWJ AutoBeat Reporter Jeff Gilbert confirmed the walkout was underway at the facility, located on Van Dyke Ave. in Sterling Heights, as the strike is just nearing the six-week mark.
"It's Stellantis' largest plant in the U.S., and it's their biggest moneymaker, according to the Union," Gilbert said. "They build the RAM 1500 pickup there."
This unannounced walkout adds 6,800 UAW to the UAW's Stand Up Strike, effectively shutting down the plant.
The strike began on Sept. 15 with a walkout against three assembly plants in Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. It has since grown to include seven assembly plants and 38 parts distribution centers in 22 states.
"This puts more than 40,000 UAW members now on strike, ratchets things up a lot especially as the union last week said it was actually making more progress at Stellantis and GM than at Ford," Gilbert reported.
Sam Fiorani. VP, Global Vehicle Forecasting for auto forecast solutions said the Sterling Heights factory is indeed Stellantis' most important plant.
"It's absolutely a big hit to Stellantis. Relatively speaking, Sterling Heights is a bigger hit to Stellantis than it would be if it were any other company," said Fiorani, noting that Stellantis has fewer U.S. plants than the other automakers.
The City of Sterling Heights issued the following statement:
“Sterling Heights is proud to be home of the RAM 1500 and the facility in which this vehicle is produced, better known as the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP). SHAP has played a major role in our country’s defense, starting as a missile production facility in 1953.
"Since being acquired by Chrysler in 1983, it has become a fixture in the Detroit automotive sector, producing a variety of brands including the popular RAM 1500 pickup truck. Since 2010, almost $3 billion has been invested in the facility, making it one of the most technologically advanced assembly plants in the world."
In a live interview on WWJ, Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor said the plant closure will have a pretty big impact.
"I'm certain that's part of the reason why the UAW has decided to target this one," he told WWJ's Tracey McCaskill. "It's one of the most important facilities, I think, in all of Stellantis' portfolio."
"The vehicle, the RAM 1500, is incredibly popular, and there are a lot of employees who work there," Taylor said. "So, locally the impact could be devastating. We estimate something like 1.6 billion in economic activity is generated in the surrounding area over the course of a year."
Until the strike is over, Taylor said the city's focus is on safety of the picketing workers.
During a Facebook Live appearance last Friday, UAW President Shawn Fain said that despite Detroit automakers increasing their wage and benefit offers, he believes if the union holds out longer, they'll get even more. At that time, Fain warned that the strike could expand at any time, depending on the progress of negotiations.
This is the first expansion of the strike in nearly two weeks. The last expansion was back on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant, where they make Ford Super Duty pickups.
Unconfirmed by the UAW, a source tells WWJ that the next plant to walk out will be Stellantis' Jefferson North Assembly Plant, although it's not clear when this could happen.
As of Monday, the Anderson Economic Group puts the cost of the strike at 9.3 billion.