Questions? Here's what we know about UAW strike in Lansing

Correction: This will be the first nationwide GM strike since a two-day walkout in 2007. Earlier versions had an incorrect year, which has been corrected by the source.

LANSING — GM autoworkers in Lansing officially go on strike at midnight after UAW leadership voted to do so this morning.  

The strike will be the first national UAW strike since 2007. The union represents about 46,000 GM autoworkers including about 4,000 in Lansing.. 

UAW-represented janitors who work in three Flint facilities, one in Warren and one in Parma, Ohio walked off the job at midnight. The 850 maintenance workers had been working on a contract extension since last year.

Before the UAW's contract with GM ran out at midnight, the union had notified the company that workers would report for scheduled Sunday shifts. Leadership -- including presidents of locals from across the country -- gathered in Detroit on Sunday morning.

The Detroit Free Press reported this morning that UAW's GM workers were reporting in Flint and crossed picket lines to do so.The striking UAW janitors there work for Aramark. 

GM is the first negotiation target as the four-year contract expired. The union extended its contracts with Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler last week. 

Mid-Michigan is home to Lansing Grand River Assembly and Lansing Delta Assembly, GM's two newest assembly plants in the United States. LGR makes Cadillac sedans and Camaros. LDT makes the Buick Enclave and Chevy Traverse.

Both the union halls for UAW Locals 602 and 652 were closed this morning when visited by Lansing State Journal staff.

Here are answers to questions culled from union officials' statements and documents posted on the websites of the Lansing UAW locals:

When will a strike by UAW's GM workers start?

Officially at midnight, but when pickets will appear at Lansing plants is not yet clear. On Saturday night UAW leaders instructed their rank-and-file to report as scheduled Sunday even though the contract would  expire at 12 a.m. 

Statements on websites of both Local 602 and 652 prepped workers what to do if the strike began while they were on the job, which included following directions of their union officials for an orderly departure.

Both the Lansing Grand River and Lansing Delta complexes include stamping operations that run on three shifts, so at least some workers will be inside facilities when the strike begins. Lansing Delta operates two assembly shifts, while Lansing Grand River has one. 

Local 652 has created and posted a schedule for picket line assignments, with the first four-hour shifts starting at 6 a.m. on Day 1. 

UAW represented janitors who work for  Aramark inside several  GM facilities went on strike at 12 a.m. today. Instead of honoring that picket line, UAW autoworkers in Flint were told to report, causing Local  598 to ask its members for patience during the "unique situation." Photographs taken today by the Detroit Free Press show some members of Local  598, who represents Flint Assembly workers, already on the picket lines.

GM's Flint Assembly makes the profitable Chevy Silvarado and GMC Sierra pickups.

How many workers does GM have in Lansing?

GM has some 4,400 hourly and salaried workers in its production facilities in Greater Lansing. LGR's workforce includes 1,387 hourly workers and 247 salaried workers, while LDT has 2,549 hourly workers and 229 salaried workers.

In Greater Lansing, the economic impact would extend beyond the GM workers to those at supplier factories and at local businesses that depend on GM workers' spending.

Total wages for workers at the Lansing area assembly plants and stamping operations are $254.5 million annually, while income taxes paid total nearly $44 million, according to information at GM's website.

Have the Lansing UAW locals made preparations to strike?

Local 652 has a seven-day long assignment list of picketing shifts, along with maps of picket line locations (entrances surrounding Lansing Grand River and Lansing Delta Township facilities.)

According to that information, Local 652 workers will have shifts at LGR and at the Lansing Regional Stamping plant, which is on the grounds of the Lansing Delta complex. Local 602 has not posted such schedules publicly.

Both unions also have notified workers of a schedule to register for strike assistance benefits from the UAW ($250 per week) and provided some information on how workers can communicate with creditors.  

Local 602 has notified its members that some skilled trades and paint mix workers will cross picket lines to complete mandatory maintenance of critical systems inside GM plants. 

Did Lansing UAW Locals favor striking?

They did. Both locals held strike votes in late August, and both published results on social media saying 98% of membership supported strike action if negotiations were not successful. 

Nationally, UAW officials announced on Sept. 2 that 96% of total membership supported strike action.

It's also worth noting that Lansing workers have a leading voice at the bargaining table. 

The National Bargaining Committee chair is Ted Krumm of UAW Local 652, who was quoted in the national statement released this morning after the strike vote: “We have been clear at the table about what GM members have indicated we will accept. We are standing up for what is right. We as local unions will sacrifice to stand up for what we deserve.”

What vehicles does GM produce in Greater Lansing?

Lansing Grand River workers make the Chevrolet Camaro and the Cadillac CT5 and CT4 family of vehicles as well as their V-series performance versions.

Lansing Delta Township Assembly produces the Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse.

Lansing Grand River Assembly

920 Townsend St., Lansing

Opened: LGR Assembly in 2001 and LGS Stamping in 2016

Size: 3.4 million square feet on 111 acres

Total workforce: 1,637

Union: UAW Local 652

Products: Cadillac CT4 and CT5, Chevrolet Camaro

Recent investments: GM announced in 2018 plans for a $175 million modernization of tooling and equipment at LGR to support the next generation of Cadillac sedans.

Lansing Delta Assembly

8175 Millett Highway, Lansing

Opened: LDT in 2006 and Lansing Regional Stamping (LRS) in 2004

Size: 3.6 million square feet on 320 acres

Total workforce: 2,778

Union: UAW Local 602/Stamping UAW Local 652

Products: Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse

Recent investments: in February 2019, GM announced it was investing $36 million at LDT for future crossover production.

Contact Mark Johnson at 517-377-1026 or at majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson.

Be informed about your community: Subscribe to the Lansing State Journal. For current offers, visit LSJ.com/subscribe.