The big numbers that make up the auto strike

By Chris Isidore and Amy O’Kruk, CNN

(CNN) — The United Auto Workers union is officially on strike against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, the automaker that makes vehicles under the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands. It’s the first time in its history that it struck all three unionized automakers at the same time. While only a handful of plants are on strike at first, the UAW has said it stands ready to expand to more plants in the days and weeks ahead in order to increase pressure on the automakers.

These are the big numbers that make up the strike.

Top hourly wage for most of the UAW members at GM, Ford and Stellantis.

This was how much wages would have increased over the four-year life of the contract under the union’s initial wage demand. The union wanted an immediate 20% raise, and four more annual increases of 5% each. While the union has lowered their wage demands since then, they are still far above the double-digit wage increases being offered by the automakers.

The number of UAW members at the three companies: 57,000 at Ford, 46,000 at GM and about 42,000 at Stellantis.

The average purchase price for a new car in August according to data from Edmunds. That’s up about $11,000, or 30% from the average sales price in August, 2019, ahead of the pandemic.

The last time each of the Big Three companies were struck. The UAW was on strike for six weeks in 2019. Chrysler, as Stellantis was then known, was struck for less than one day in 2007. Ford was last struck in 1978, when the company had 202,000 union members, or more than now work at the three companies combined.

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