Auto workers still have room to expand their strike against car makers. But they also face risks

By DAVID KOENIG
AP Business Writer

Even after escalating its strike against Detroit automakers on Friday, the United Auto Workers union still has plenty of leverage in its effort to force the companies to agree to significant increases in pay and benefits. The UAW could, if it chose to, vastly expand the number of strikers who could hit auto plants and parts facilities of General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. Yet the UAW’s emerging strategy also carries potentially significant risks for the union. By expanding its strike on Friday from three large auto assembly plants to all 38 parts distribution centers of GM and Ford, the UAW risks angering people who might be unable to have their vehicles repaired at service centers that lack parts.