WENTZVILLE, Mo. — It's day five of the United Auto Workers strike and right now, there's no end in sight.
UAW international officials say no "main table" negotiations will happen Tuesday in a video posted to X.
In the video posted, UAW's International President Shawn Fain stated members are "going to keep hitting the companies where they need to when they need to and they're not going to wait around forever while this drags this out."
Additionally, Fain said if there's no significant progress toward a deal by noon Friday, there will be more plants that strike.
And that's why 4,000 workers remain on the picket line at the GM plant in Wentzville, trying to keep up their momentum.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones is the latest to show her support for people in Wentzville at the GM plant.
"It can be a little hot here but I wanted to show solidarity and let you know I support everything you're asking for," Mayor Jones said.
UAW Local #440 from Bedford, Indiana, also showed their support. The local chapter says they've been preparing to head to picket lines for weeks if they're called up in the next targeted strike.
"Any support you can give to another local on strike will boost morale," Derek Cronin said.
He says his members have been preparing for the last two months, saving up funds from their checks.
"We've been ready for the possibility of going out on strike at my local, so if it comes to that, and if we get called we're ready to go," Cronin said.
The former UAW Local 2250 President Glenn Kage Jr. was also on the picket lines Tuesday. He expressed frustration with contract negotiations from the big three automakers including GM, Ford and Stellantis.
"They're close on some issues but they're farther on some of the others," Kage said. "It's eventually going to start slowing down production in some of these facilities without Shawn Fain calling strike action at those facilities."
Recent statements from the Big Three
General Motors released this statement on Sept. 15:
"The UAW has informed GM that they are on strike at Wentzville Assembly in Missouri as of 11:59 p.m. on Thurs, Sept. 14. We are disappointed by the UAW leadership's actions, despite the unprecedented economic package GM put on the table, including historic wage increases and manufacturing commitments. We will continue to bargain in good faith with the union to reach an agreement as quickly as possible for the benefit of our team members, customers, suppliers and communities across the U.S. In the meantime, our priority is the safety of our workforce."
Stellantis released this statement on Sept. 15:
"We are extremely disappointed by the UAW leadership's refusal to engage in a responsible manner to reach a fair agreement in the best interest of our employees, their families and our customers. We immediately put the company in contingency mode and will take all the appropriate structural decisions to protect our North American operations and the company."
Ford released this statement on Sept. 14:
"At 8 p.m. this evening at Solidarity House in Detroit, the United Auto Workers presented its first substantive counterproposal to Ford a few hours from the expiration of the current four-year collective bargain agreement.
"On the key economic issues that matter most to our UAW-represented employees, Ford has submitted four proposals to the UAW since Aug. 29. The last offer Ford submitted was historically generous, with large wage increases, cost of living adjustments, more paid time off, additional retirement contributions and more.
"Unfortunately, the UAW’s counterproposal tonight showed little movement from the union’s initial demands submitted Aug. 3. If implemented, the proposal would more than double Ford’s current UAW-related labor costs, which are already significantly higher than the labor costs of Tesla, Toyota and other foreign-owned automakers in the United States that utilize non-union-represented labor.
"The union made clear that unless we agreed to its unsustainable terms, it plans a work stoppage at 11:59 p.m. eastern. Ford has bargained in good faith in an effort to avoid a strike, which could have wide-ranging consequences for our business and the economy. It also impacts the very 57,000 UAW-Ford workers we are trying to reward with this contract. Our hourly employees would take home nearly 60% less on average with UAW strike pay than they would from working. And without vehicles in production, the profit-sharing checks that UAW workers could expect to receive early next year will also be decimated by a significant strike.
"Ford remains absolutely committed to reaching an agreement that rewards our employees and protects Ford’s ability to invest in the future as we move through industry-wide transformation."