A United Auto Workers strike at General Motors Co. appeared headed into its ninth day, in a work stoppage that has led to temporary layoffs for thousands of workers at GM facilities in the U.S. and Canada who aren’t involved in the walkout, the Wall Street Journal reported. The strike is already the longest nationwide walkout at GM since 1970, sending some 46,000 full-time factory workers to picket lines and halting work at more than 30 of the auto maker’s U.S. plants. The UAW is pushing for better new-hire pay, fewer temp workers and the preservation of existing health-care plans, among other issues. Union and company bargainers met yesterday with talks likely to continue today as the two sides work to resolve key differences. As the strike persists for a second week, GM has furloughed more than 1,200 employees at engine plants in Ohio and Canada. These temporary layoffs add to the 2,000 workers at GM’s assembly plant in Oshawa, Canada, who were furloughed because of the strike last week. The walkout is also affecting a web of auto-parts suppliers in the U.S. that produce components for the company’s cars and trucks.
