GM and Ford lay off almost 900 more workers, blaming strike
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General Motors and Ford are laying off almost 900 additional workers between them, blaming the expansion of the strike announced by the United Auto Workers union at those companies on Friday.

General Motors said it would lay off 164 workers at stamping plants in Parma, Ohio, and Marion, Indiana. As a result of the strike, these plants are unable to send their stamped metal parts to the assembly lines in Wentzville, Ohio, and Lansing Delta Assembly in Lansing, Michigan. The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups, as well as the Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave pickups, are manufactured at these plants.

Most GM assembly lines in Parma and Marion will continue to operate, though most workers will continue to produce stamping for other plants.

“GM has repeatedly stated that nobody wins in strikes, and this is yet another proof of that fact,” said the statement.

In the past, the company had laid off over 1,800 workers at its Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas City, Kansas, as well as its Toledo engine plant and its Lockport components factory in New York. There have now been nearly 2,000 layoffs across the five affected plants.

Approximately 1,300 Ford employees have been laid off since the strike began on Wednesday evening.

In a statement on Wednesday, Ford said it was laying off an additional 400 workers from two plants, taking effect on Thursday. In Michigan, about 350 workers were laid off at Livonia Transmission Plant and 50 at Sterling Axle Plant.

Approximately 25,000 UAW members are currently on strike against the three automakers, and the union is already paying them $500 a week in strike benefits. As well as these 3,300 laid off members, the union will pay them $500 a week.