Thousands of workers at three assembly plants of General Motors (GM), Ford and Stellantis in the United States began strikes early this Friday due to the lack of an agreement to sign a new collective agreement.

It is the first time in history that factories of the so-called Big Three of Detroit, as the three companies are known, have gone on strike simultaneously. The three plants employ around 13,500 people.

“For the first time in history, we will declare strikes at the same time in all three companies. “We are using a new strategy, the selective strike,” said United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fein.

Following Fein's words, hundreds of union members stood at the entrance doors of the factories to participate in the strike pickets.

The union and the three companies have been negotiating since July the signing of a new collective agreement for the next four years. But the union has said the companies are not negotiating in good faith.

They demand a salary increase of 46%

UAW demands a salary increase of 46% in four years, the reintroduction of traditional pensions, the reduction of working hours and the unionization of workers in battery production factories.

UAW has warned that it will use the strategy of selective strikes in different plants of the Big Three to put more pressure on the companies. The number of plants on strike will increase as negotiations continue.

Fein has also not ruled out the UAW declaring a simultaneous general strike at the three companies, which would be an unprecedented measure in the history of the United States.

The last strike that the sector experienced occurred in 2019 when the UAW was negotiating the signing of the collective agreement that expired at midnight this Thursday.

Then, GM's 49,000 workers went on strike for 40 days, costing the company about $3.8 billion.