Aurora — About two dozen workers at a General Motors parts distribution center joined a nationwide strike by the United Auto Workers Union today.
Shirley Vigil, president of UAW Local 431, told the Aurora Sentinel that 72 workers would divide into shifts and maintain a picket line at the center around the clock until GM and the union reach a contract.
A woman at the distribution center who answered a call from The Associated Press referred questions to GM officials in Detroit.
Officials there did not immediately return a call.
It wasn’t clear how many people work at the Aurora facility and whether or how long its work would continue.
Vigil said the Aurora operation is the largest GM parts distribution center in the nation, serving 297 dealerships in and around Colorado.
Wind and rain greeted the first shift of pickets in Aurora.
Vigil said her husband would bring an RV to the scene so strikers would have a place to warm up.
Freddie Baker, who has worked for GM for 35 years, said he didn’t know where the contract talks stood until he reported today.
“I just got word to come on out and got put on the first (picket line) shift,” he said.
