By Maria Carter
Kansas City, MO – Failed contract negotiations have ground work to a halt at the General Motors plant in Kansas City and around the country. KCUR's Maria Carter reports.
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UAW members walked out of the Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas City, Kansas this morning at 10. That was the deadline set by the United Auto Workers. G-M maintains the auto giant needs to cut labor and healthcare costs. Union officials want to guarantee future cars will be built in the U-S. UAW Local 31 president Jeff Manning says the strike will be tough on workers and their families.
Jeff Manning: Anytime you don't get paid for work it hurts. It will definitely have an effect. We'll stand together. We'll stand one day or thirty days. It doesn't make us any difference. We're not going to beg for anything. It's collective bargaining not collective begging.
Workers receive some 200 dollars in strike pay from the union. The last time the UAW called a nationwide strike was more than three decades ago against Ford.
