GM says it will close Mexican pickup truck factory due to UAW strike

A General Motors factory in Mexico will reportedly shut down amid a parts shortage that the company has blamed on an ongoing strike in the U.S. by United Auto Workers (UAW) union members.

The strike, which began in mid-September, forced the closure of the automaker’s pickup truck and transmission factories in the city of Silao, The Associated Press reported Tuesday, citing GM spokesman Dan Flores. The spokesman said he did not know how many workers would be affected.

{mosads}As a result, GM will not have access to new supplies of its top-selling U.S. vehicle, the light-duty Chevrolet Silverado. The closure comes after GM closed a Mexican engine manufacturing facility and a Canadian assembly plant, according to the AP.

The strike, now in its third week, involves more than 49,000 UAW members, who are seeking higher pay, better protection for their health care benefits and an increased share of GM profits. Management and union representatives met for talks earlier this week.

The automaker announced last week that, despite initial reports it would cut off striking workers’ health benefits, the benefits would remain in place.

“It should not have taken stories about UAW GM workers who faced losing their cancer drugs, or postponing their surgery dates for GM to see their workers as humans beings not pawns on a chess board,” Jason Kaplan, a representative for UAW, told The Hill last week.