As UAW expands strike, why Spring Hill GM plant was not called to join

Workers at the Spring Hill General Motors plant won't join the strike this week as negotiations continue between three auto manufacturers and the national United Auto Workers union.

However, parts distribution centers for GM have been called to walk out, affecting centers in Memphis and dozens of other parts centers in the U.S., following a Friday address by UAW President Shawn Fain.

Earlier this week, a Spring Hill GM plant strike was much-speculated after a reported 13,000 autoworkers of the union's 150,000 members took up signs, officially walking out of GM, Ford and Stellantis plants in three states — Ohio, Michigan and Missouri.

More than 3,000 United Auto Workers members are employed at the Spring Hill plant.

The core issues of concern to workers are pay and cost of living increases.

Fain addressed more than 50,000 people Friday morning on a Facebook Live event. Ford, he said, has made positive efforts at the negotiating table, but Stellantis and GM continue to play hardball.

Fain called on all parts distribution facilities — 38 factories between GM and Stellantis — to walk out. While that doesn't include the Spring Hill plant, it does include one in Memphis that employs about 200 employees.

"Stellantis and GM are going to need some serious pushing," he said. "Both of those companies have rejected all of our job security proposals. Both GM and Stellantis have rejected our profit sharing proposals, and both companies have rejected our proposals to convert temps."

During his talk, Fain addressed the Spring Hill plant, saying workers are still prepared to strike if more negotiation demands aren't reached.

Earlier this week, UAW spokesperson Brian Costantino said workers in Spring Hill are "fired up" and "fed up."

More: Spring Hill United Auto Workers braced to strike; 'I pray GM does what's right'

Since that time, all eyes have been on Spring Hill's GM plant, the largest in North America, and whether it would also join the "Stand Up Strike" for better wages and opportunities for employees.

The UAW strike has been anticipated as potentially the largest strike in the union's history, with its most recent company-wide walkout occurring in 2019.

The 11-million-square-foot Spring Hill GM plant, which opened in 1990 on 2,100 acres, builds SUV models, including Cadillac models XT5, XT6, and the all-electric LYRIQ, powered by Ultium Cells batteries, and the GMC Acadia.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: UAW strike update: Why Spring Hill GM workers remain on assembly line