This Monday morning 6800 UAW members joined the so-called Stand Up Strike, shutting down production at Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP), Stellantis’ largest plant and biggest moneymaker. UAW workers who make Stellantis’ best-selling RAM 1500 trucks are now joining the ongoing strikes at all three of the Big Three automakers.

The move comes just days after UAW President Shawn Fain detailed the current proposals across the automakers, highlighting the shortcomings of Stellantis’ current offer. Despite having the highest revenue, the highest profits (North American and global), the highest profit margins, and the most cash in reserve, Stellantis lags behind Ford and General Motors in addressing the demands of their UAW workforce. Currently, Stellantis has the worst proposal on the table regarding wage progression, temporary worker pay and conversion to full-time, cost-of-living adjustments (COLA), and more, UAW president Shown Fain told members in his weekly address. Some of the members on the broadcast were calling for a vote now.

The surprise walkout at SHAP brings the total number of UAW members on strike at the Big Three automakers to more than 40,000, as the strike nears the six-week mark. This is the first time in the UAW’s history that the union has struck all Big Three automakers at the same time. However, instead of all 150,000 UAW autoworkers walking out together, select locals have been called on to “Stand Up” and strike.

The strike began on 15 September with a walkout against three assembly plants in Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. It has since grown to include seven assembly plants and 38 parts distribution centers in 22 states.

This is the second time that the UAW has launched a surprise strike against a plant. During the first month of the strike, the union set a deadline in advance and expanded the strike if an automaker failed to make progress toward a fair agreement. That phase of the strike did produce significant movement, but then the UAW claimed that the Big Three began to “slow walk bargaining until just before each deadline.”

On 11 October, the UAW began a new phase of the Stand Up Strike when it launched a surprise strike against Ford’s highly profitable Kentucky Truck Plant (KTP). In that unannounced move, 8,00 UAW members walked off the job at 6:30 p.m. and shut down the Louisville plant.