UAW, GM talk while U.S. workers picket

DETROIT, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- United Auto Workers and General Motors Corp. talks went into the night Monday as the union representing 73,000 GM workers struck more than 80 U.S. plants.

But industry analysts said that given how far apart the two sides appear to be, the strike could last for weeks, The New York Times reported.

The workers started picketing GM plants nationwide after the union's 11 a.m. EDT contract deadline expired.

One striker in Pontiac, Mich., was visibly shaken when he was clipped by a car driven by a supervisor attempting to enter a GM parking lot, The Detroit News reported.

"I thought he was going to slow down and he gunned it," worker 37-year-old Tracey Purvis said.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said talks broke down over job security, investment in U.S. plants, wages, active-employee benefits and job creation.

GM said it was "disappointed in the UAW’s decision to call a national strike."

"The bargaining involves complex, difficult issues that affect the job security of our U.S. workforce and the long-term viability of the company," the automaker said.

The last time the UAW staged a national strike against GM was 1970. That strike lasted two months.

The union and automaker have been wrestling for weeks to reach a labor agreement for Detroit's Big Three automakers. The UAW picked GM as the lead company to strike a deal the day before the current contract expired Sept. 14.