New report estimates UAW strike cost $3.95 billion in first 2 weeks

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The United Auto Workers strike is costing billions of dollars.

In a new report, Anderson Economic Group said the strike against the big three automakers cost $3.95 billion in its first two weeks.

The second week added 38 General Motors and Stellantis plants to the three Ford, GM and Stellantis plants already on strike.

About 18,000 workers are now on the picket lines. Breaking it all down, the strike has cost workers $325 million in wages. Auto makers, suppliers and dealers have each lost more than $1 billion.

"Suppliers were particularly hard-hit by the UAW's strategy of announcing specific plants to be struck just hours before they were shut down," Patrick Anderson, principal and CEO of Anderson Economic Group, said in a statement, according to a report by Fox Business. "The shutdown of 38 parts distribution centers also crimped dealership service options and, of course, caused more UAW workers to lose wages."

Many of the workers who are on strike, or those who have been laid off, could be eligible for the union's strike pay of $500 each week.

Tuesday marks the 19th day of the strike with no obvious signs of progress in the talks between the union and the three auto makers. Only certain plants and parts centers are on strike, with the union adding more facilities weekly.

There's no word yet if another strike expansion is coming later this week. For now, Ford's two Louisville plants remain humming. The UAW has yet to target big trucks, such as the F-Series models made at the Kentucky Truck Plant, which provide most of the automakers' profits. One industry analyst said the union is saving the "nuclear option" for later.

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