The ongoing auto strike in the United States saw another 7,000 workers join the picket lines on Friday, further intensifying the major labor dispute against the top three car manufacturers in Detroit. Shawn Fain, the president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), issued a call to action, urging employees at Ford and General Motors (GM) plants in Chicago and Michigan to join the unprecedented joint strike against the “Big Three” Detroit automakers, which include Ford, GM, and Stellantis, the producer of Chrysler vehicles. The primary demands of the striking workers are higher wages and other improvements to their working conditions. In a message live-streamed on YouTube, Fain explicitly called on employees at Ford’s Chicago assembly plant and GM’s Lansing Delta Township facility to participate in the strike, emphasizing their crucial role in fighting for improved employment terms. The strike officially commenced at noon Eastern time (1600 GMT) as planned, according to a statement from a UAW official. The central demand of the union is a 40 percent wage increase over the next four years, whereas the car manufacturers have offered raises of around 20 percent.