DETROIT (NEWSnet/AP) — About 146,000 members of the United Auto Workers union will vote next week whether to authorize their leaders to call strikes against the Detroit automakers.

Union President Shawn Fain told members in a Facebook Live appearance Tuesday that the talks, which started in mid-July, are moving slowly and have yet to get to wages and other economic issues.

The union's contracts with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis expire at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14.

Fain told local offices to report the results of their strike authorization votes to the union headquarters by Aug. 24. Strike authorization votes are a routine part of contract talks and are often approved, but Fain said such a vote is a sign of the union's strength.

“If we want to make progress at the bargaining table, we need to show the companies that it's not just talk,” Fain said.

Fain has set high expectations for the contract talks and says the union will seek more than 40% general pay raises over four years, restoration of pensions for newer hires, cost-of-living increases, an end to wage tiers, and other benefits. He has said workers can make big gains but must be ready to strike to get them.

The union also wants guarantees that it will represent workers at 10 U.S. electric vehicle battery plants proposed by the companies. Most are joint ventures with Korean battery companies.

Much of Fain's rhetoric has been focused on Stellantis, the most profitable of the three companies. But a union spokesman said singling out Stellantis doesn’t mean the UAW has picked a company as a strike target, and it could choose all three.

He said the union doesn't plan to extend the contracts beyond Sept. 14.

Automakers say they are facing billions of dollars in development costs as the industry shifts from combustion engines to electric vehicles.

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