SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The United Auto Workers (UAW) officially went on strike against the big three automakers Friday, talk of a strike have been going on for weeks now.
With the chance of this strike looming for some time, local dealerships 22News spoke to said they were prepared, getting extra parts in case production slows.
The UAW unions said it was walking out for the first time since 2019 after contract negotiations with Ford, GM and Stellantis failed. According to the CEO of General Motors, customers may see the impact of the strike soon. However, local dealerships took note of the strike and stocked up.
“So we have prepared for it. Based on inventory levels, we took extra inventory over the last few months so we knew if this happened, we would be prepared. And our parts department, we stocked up on fast moving parts, so we can still service vehicles depending on how long the strike lasts. We are hoping it doesn’t last that long but obviously there’s still negotiations between the big three automakers right now,” said Mike Marcotte, President of Marcotte Ford.
The Global Data Research firm said Stellantis has enough vehicles at or en route to dealers to last for 75 days. Ford has a 62-day supply and GM has 51. Marcotte says added inventory is also in good shape locally, if you are looking to purchase a vehicle.
The UAW President said in a statement that they are rallying members and hope to be back at the bargaining table again Saturday.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 providing local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Follow 22News on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
