‘Pretty limited in the near term’ UAW strike and the impact on the Pittsburgh region

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – This weekend’s United Autoworkers strike at three plants will not have much impact on the Pittsburgh region. 

At least that’s the view of PNC Chief Economist Dr. Gus Faucher. 

At the moment, only 10-percent of the autoworkers are on strike at three plants of the major automakers, with the closest to Pittsburgh being in Toledo. 

United Auto Workers go on strike against Ford, GM, Stellantis

“The biggest impact to the Pittsburgh area will be that some models of cars produced by the ‘Big Three’ will become less available, but at this point, they do have sufficient inventory,” he said. “They’re going to be other options that are going to be available, so I think the hit to the Pittsburgh economy will be pretty limited in the near term.”

Now, that could change if the strike expands or lasts a long time. 

With profits at auto companies up 90-percent since 2013, autoworkers say they want a 40-percent pay increase since the company’s CEOs have had at least that much of a pay hike over the last decade. 

You can watch my full interview with Dr. Faucher on this topic on Sunday morning during the KDKA-TV Sunday Morning News in the newest edition of the Sunday Business Page.