The Blubber

United Auto Workers will strike Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. Thousands of autoworkers will hit the picket line and shut down key plants across the country.

This is the first time in history the union is striking all of the Big 3 at once. They've announced targeted stand-up strikes at three plants, one per company, beginning midnight tonight.

They include General Motors: Wentzville, MO Stellantis: Toledo, OH Ford: Wayne, MI

A protracted and coordinated strike organized by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union against the Detroit Three automakers has the potential to disrupt production significantly, leading to potential increases in vehicle prices and worsening supply-chain disruptions, analysts have cautioned.

The automotive industry is currently in a state of anticipation as the existing four-year labor contracts between the UAW and General Motors (GM), Ford Motor Co., and Stellantis for their hourly U.S. workforce are set to expire at midnight on September 14. The UAW's leader has already issued a warning about the potential for a synchronized strike.

According to J.D. Power, an automotive consulting firm, if the strike persists for roughly two weeks, new vehicle prices may experience a modest increase of less than 2%. Tyson Jominy, Vice President of Data and Analytics at J.D. Power, pointed out that if the strike lingers beyond this timeframe, consumers purchasing vehicles from any company are likely to face higher prices.

Furthermore, Jominy noted that automakers like Toyota, Honda, and Volkswagen could benefit from this situation if the domestic brands quickly deplete their inventory.

In addition to the potential impact on new vehicle prices, the used car market, which closely follows trends in the new vehicle market, may experience more significant price effects if the strike results in limited alternatives for consumers seeking to purchase vehicles.

A 10-day work stoppage would reduce US GDP by $5.6 billion, per Bloomberg.