Dozens of UAW workers remain on strike at the GM Stead distribution center. 

On Monday, the president of the Communications Workers of America joined UAW members outside the distribution center and urged them to keep fighting against corporate greed.

“We're tired of corporate greed, and even young people are tired of corporate greed! That's why young workers are organizing around this country right now,” says Claude Cummings Jr., President, Communications Workers of America.

President Biden will travel to Michigan on Tuesday to walk the picket line with UAW members.

Last Friday, UAW President Shawn Fain called for expanded strikes at 38 new locations across 20 states, including the Reno Parts Distribution Center. 

This expanded strike affects GM’s and Stellantis’ distribution centers. Ford was spared from the latest walkouts because of progress that company has made in negotiations with the union, said UAW President Shawn Fain.

Only about 12% of the union’s total membership is so far taking part in the walkout. 

The UAW began its walkout more than a week ago by striking three assembly plants — one each at GM, Ford and Stellantis. In expanding the strike on Friday, the UAW struck only the parts-distribution centers of GM and Stellantis. 

Striking the parts centers is designed to turn up pressure on the companies by hurting dealers who service vehicles made by GM and Stellantis, the successor to Fiat Chrysler. Service shops are a profit center for dealers, so the strategy could prove effective. Millions of motorists depend on those shops to maintain and repair their cars and trucks.

“It severely hits the dealerships, and it hurts the customers who purchased those very expensive vehicles in good faith,” said Art Wheaton, a labor expert at Cornell University. “You just told all your customers, ‘Hey we can’t fix those $50,000 to $70,000 cars we just sold you because we can’t get you the parts.’"

The companies have said they cannot afford to meet the union’s demands because they need to invest profits in a costly transition from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles. They have dismissed out of hand some of the demands, including 40 hours’ pay for a 32-hour work week.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)