Over 80 UAW members in Bucks County joined nationwide strike
LANGHORNE, Pa. (CBS) -- Friday is the eighth day of the United Auto Workers strike. More workers join the picket lines against major automakers.
This time union members in Bucks County walked off the job.
Workers said they're just trying to provide for their families. So when the president of the United Auto Workers expanded the strike and added more facilities to the strike list, workers left their jobs.
Eighty-three members of the United Auto Workers Union Local 21-77 went on strike at noon. They left the General Motors Distribution and Customer Care Center in Langhorne.
READ MORE: UAW widens strike against GM and Stellantis, but spares Ford
UAW President Shawn Fain said GM and Stellantis still refuse adequate cost of living raises to union workers on Friday.
"Both companies are still offering a deficient cost of living allowance that is projected to provide zero increases over the next four years," Fain said.
Local 21-77 President Charmian Leslie-Hughes said inflated prices and raises do not keep up with inflation which has her struggling to pay bills.
"I've got three kids. I'm a single mom, divorced. I'm it," Leslie-Hughes said. "I also have a mom who is sick so I take care of her, too. So, I'm really stretched."
READ MORE: UAW threatens to expand strike to more auto plants by end of week
UAW Region 9 Assistant Director Raymond Jensen said with current agreements, some union employees will not have healthcare once they retire.
"When they retire, that's called a voluntary quit. So they have no pension and no healthcare," he said. "So these jobs will break your body down and when they decide that's enough, they have no post-retirement healthcare."
Jensen said if union members have their demands met, they can support their families and communities.
"When the members make more money, where do they spend that money?" he said. They spend it in the communities."
General Motors responded to CBS News Philadelphia Friday afternoon:
"We have now presented five separate economic proposals that are historic, addressing areas that our team members have said matters most: wage increases and job security while allowing GM to succeed and thrive into the future. We will continue to bargain in good faith with the union to reach an agreement as quickly as possible."
Stellantis also responded:
"We question whether the union's leadership has ever had an interest in reaching an agreement in a timely manner. They seem more concerned about pursuing their own political agendas than negotiating in the best interests of our employees and the sustainability of our U.S. operations given the market's fierce competition."
As for Ford, union leaders said the company is negotiating in good faith. So while members continued to strike, no new Ford facilities were added to the list.
