Pickup production has ground to a halt at three U.S. factories as the United Auto Workers union begins striking select plants as contract negotiations with Ford, Stellantis and GM continue.
The UAW has taken the unusual step of picketing one factory from each automaker simultaneously, but they all have something in common.
Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant, Stellantis’ Toledo Assembly Complex and GM’s Wentzville Assembly all build midsize trucks.
Michigan Assembly is where the Ford Ranger and Bronco are manufactured. Early production of an all-new Ranger had just kicked off at the factory.
Toledo is the spiritual home of Jeep and produces the Gladiator and Wrangler, which share much of their construction and were recently redesigned for 2024.
GM’s Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon are produced at the Wentzville, Mo., factory along with the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana minivans.
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Colorado and Canyon sales combined make them the second-best selling midsize trucks behind the Toyota Tacoma.
The Tacoma is assembled at a factory in Mexico that’s unaffected by the UAW action.
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The Mississippi-made Nissan Frontier and Alabama-built Honda Ridgeline are also manufactured at non-union facilities, putting them all in a position to take advantage of a shortage of trucks from the Big Three that an extended strike could create.