"The forced overtime – we are working to death. We are working 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, every day, week after week, month after month, year after year. We are burned out,” added Ferdinandsen. “These companies are profiting the way that they are and trying to convince the American people that they’re hurting, but in the same breath coming out and bragging about it, and then telling us they can’t afford everything that we’re putting out there. They’re forcing our hand to strike. It is not going to be on the UAW. What we’re asking for is everything that we lost, everything that they’ve taken from us, everything that they betrayed us with. That’s all we’re asking for and they have the means to give it back.”

“The union has bent over backwards to make these companies successful. They can no longer cry ‘Well, we can’t afford it, we can’t afford this.’ They are making money hand over fist off the backs of the workers and it’s time that workers get their fair share,” added Candela. “It’s time somebody cares. It’s time somebody takes the bull by the horns and starts negotiating a living wage contract for all members, active and retirees.”

Behind these immense profits, Fernandinsen argued, is a workforce that is being overworked with mandatory forced overtime and divided along different pay tiers and temporary statuses.