UAW Goes Medieval on the Big Three: What Does it Mean?

By now, virtually anyone following the news knows that for the first time in its long history, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union initiated a strike against all “Big Three” American car manufacturers based in Detroit – Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (aka Chrysler) – at the same time. The UAW came in with aggressive proposals – such as 40 percent wage increases, elimination of tiered wage structures, and lighter work schedules – and to date has not shown much willingness to significantly come off those proposals.