The United Auto Workers Union in the United States did not expand the strike this week, and automotive stocks in the US stock market quickly rose during trading.

On Friday, due to progress in negotiations, the United Auto Workers (UAW) decided not to expand the automotive workers' strike this week, and General Motors made a crucial concession. This week is the first week since the start of the strike that it has not been expanded to new factories.

Shawn Fain, the president of the UAW, said earlier on Friday that the union was prepared to expand the strike to a factory in Arlington, Texas, where General Motors produces SUVs and makes high profits. However, at the last minute, the union reached an agreement with General Motors to include battery plant workers in the new national labor contract, thus avoiding a strike this week.

Fain stated in a live speech that the union would not strike for no reason. General Motors has agreed to lay the foundation for a fair transition to the era of electric vehicles.

Boosted by the news that the strike would not be expanded, Ford's stock rose by as much as 1.9% during trading on Friday, General Motors rose by 3.4%, and Stellantis rose by over 3.3%. At the close, the intraday gains of the three major automakers were partially reversed to varying degrees. Looking at the longer term, due to the uncertainty of the negotiations, the stock prices of General Motors and Ford have plummeted since July. Stellantis is an exception, with its stock rising by about 37% so far this year.

The strike, which began on September 15th, is the first time that the three major traditional Detroit automakers have simultaneously become targets of a strike. Currently, five assembly plants and 38 parts distribution plants are on strike. The UAW has 146,000 members in the three major automakers, and the strike has so far affected 25,000 of them.

Since the start of the strike, the UAW has continued to increase pressure on automakers. Negotiations have focused on issues such as wages, pensions, and future battery plant workers. Whether there is a right to strike after a factory closure has been a contentious issue in negotiations between automakers and the union. Currently, each automaker is negotiating separately with the UAW for its own four-and-a-half-year contract, but they are closely monitoring the actions of other automakers.

Analysts say that the number of strikers currently accounts for only about one-sixth of the UAW's membership of automotive workers in the United States. In other words, if Fain wants to cause more damage to the three major automakers and their supply chains, he still has many means at his disposal. Fain's strategy is to make the opposing side speculate about his next move while minimizing the consumption of the union's strike fund.

In the past week, Ford and General Motors have submitted new proposals to the union, including wage increases and retirement benefits. Fain revealed on Friday that Ford's latest offer includes a 23% pay raise, higher than General Motors and Stellantis' 20%. The union hopes to receive a pay raise of at least 30% after the strike ends, which is lower than their initial demand of 40%. Informed sources revealed that Ford's proposal, when considering cost-of-living allowances taking into account inflation, is likely to reach this level.

The union is also seeking to restore traditional pensions, but the car companies claim they cannot afford it. Fain stated on Friday that negotiations are making progress, but he also threatened that if a comprehensive agreement cannot be reached, there will be more strikes.