UAW Shuts Down Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Traverse Production In Expanded Strike

The United Auto Workers have struck new assembly plants at Ford and General Motors as negotiations over a new contract continue.

The union left Stellantis out of the additional actions, citing progress in talks with the automaker.

Workers at Ford’s Chicago Assembly and GM’s Lansing Delta Assembly in Michigan were told to walk out at Noon on Friday.

The Ford factory builds the Explorer, which is the brand’s second-best-selling model behind the F-Series, along with law enforcement versions of the SUV and the Lincoln Aviator. The company’s Michigan Assembly Plant, where the Ranger pickup and Bronco SUV are produced, has been closed for the past two weeks.

GM manufactures the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave SUVs at Lansing Delta Asssembly, which both compete against the Explorer in the three-row crossover SUV class. GM’s midsize pickup operations at its Wentzville Assembly Plant in Missouri have also been idled since September 15 and spillover from parts made there caused the closure of the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kan., where the Chevrolet Malibu and Cadillac XT4 are built.

THE CHEAPEST AMERICAN CAR THAT’S STILL MADE IN THE USA ISN’T BEING MADE AT ALL RIGHT NOW

The strike has also affected parts distribution centers run by GM and Stellantis, as well as the Toledo, Ohio, factory that builds the Jeep Wrangler and Galdiator.