First it was Hollywood, and now another big union strike is underway. For the first time ever, thousands of United Auto Workers members are striking against Detroit’s Big Three auto companies. 

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An historic autoworkers fight is now on, with thousands of UAW members walking off the factory floors at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, the parent company of Jeep and Chrysler. Workers are asking for pay increases and more equal benefits for temporary workers, particularly as companies post profits and increase executive pay. 

It’s the latest union fight in the United States as workers such as nurses and Hollywood scriptwriters and actors seek better pay and job security. Meanwhile, the specter of the presidential election hovers over the autoworkers strike. 

Global business reporter Jeanne Whalen explains what’s at stake in this strike and how the issues at hand go well beyond the auto factories.