* Illinois has just 5,621 UAW members in the auto industry, according to a recent analysis by Fitch Ratings. All those members work for Ford. The Stellantis plant has been at least temporarily shuttered. From the AP today…

Another 5,600 additional workers joined the strike on top of the 13,000 of the 146,000 members that began the strike one week ago.

Ford was spared additional strikes because the company has met some of the union’s demands during negotiations over the past week, said UAW President Shawn Fain.

“We’ve made some real progress at Ford,” Fain said during an online presentation to union members. “We still have serious issues to work through, but we do want to recognize that Ford is showing that they are serious about reaching a deal.”

* Meanwhile, Fitch also looked at the effects of a UAW strike on state budgets…

A forecast prepared by the University of Michigan’s Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics (RSQE) estimated roughly $180 million of tax revenue losses for Michigan resulting from a 10-week strike involving all UAW members across OEMs, would be well within the state’s ability to manage without credit deterioration. Assuming the UAW strike remains limited, Fitch anticipates state tax and local income tax revenue losses will be substantially less than the RSQE’s initial forecast. In addition, UAW has $825 million in a strike fund that could pay wages and health benefits for all UAW workers for about 11 weeks, according to the RSQE. [Emphasis added.]

*** UPDATE *** Welp, turns out Illinois wasn’t spared after all. The headline has been changed as a result. From the Illinois AFL-CIO…

Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea and Secretary-Treasurer Pat Devaney Issue Statement on UAW Strike Expansion to Illinois

“Today’s announcement of UAW members striking at parts distribution centers at General Motors and Stellantis in Chicago and Bolingbrook is a significant turning point in the union’s ‘stand-up strike.’

The ‘stand-up strike’ movement is not just about the Big Three automakers – it is about working people standing up to corporate greed.

These fights are rooted in the same struggle that workers all over this country are engaged in—and they are making it clear that it’s time to put an end to an economy that has been rigged against working people for decades.

The Illinois AFL-CIO stands with the UAW every single day until they get the fair contract they so justly deserve.”

* From ABC 7, the impact is pretty small…

Among the facilities joining the strike are a GM facility in Bolingbrook and a Stellantis facility in Naperville.

Approximately 5,625 additional workers will join the strike, with about 100 workers at the Bolingbrook facility and 100 at the Naperville facility.