Chrysler LLC workers began to walk off the job on Oct. 10 as negotiations stalled ahead of a strike deadline. "It's official, it's a go," Scott Mills, a United Auto Workers union picket captain said about the strike, as he began handing out picket signs at a technical center in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills.
Hundreds of workers streamed out of the technical center, some setting up a picket line others heading home with their horns honking in support of the union's second strike in a matter of weeks.Media reported similar scenes at plants across the country.
Chrysler Canada spokesman Ed Saenz A spokesman announced that two assembly plants in Ontario are likely to shut soon due to a parts shortage created by the U.S. strike. "We think the Windsor plant will go down within 24 hours and the Brampton plant will go down within 24 to 48 hours," he said.
Both assembly plants are located in Ontario province, and employ 9,000 people. Chrysler's total Canadian workforce is 12,000.
The UAW held a two-day nationwide strike at General Motors Corp. last month which resulted in a landmark contract that it has been using as a framework for talks with Chrysler. But negotiations at Chrysler stalled over issues of job security, health care and wages, sources close to the negotiations said.
The UAW was expected to announce later on Oct. 10 whether the GM contract has been ratified by its members.
A nationwide strike of more than 45,000 union workers could shutter 31 Chrysler facilities in the U.S. and could also lead to the closure of six plants in Canada and Mexico.
