HIGH POINT, N.C. — Several workers at Thomas Built Buses ended their shifts Friday afternoon, but they could be back by midnight, but they won't be there to work.
About 1,500 High Point United Automobile Workers at Thomas Built Buses plan to strike on April 27 at 12:01 a.m. if they don't come to an agreement with their parent company, Daimler.
Thomas Built Buses is a longtime bus manufacturer based in High Point.
The local UAW President, Chris Pratt, said there are about 1,700 employees overall, 1,500 of whom are union workers.
Pratt explained the type of work that is done at Thomas Built Buses.
"I'm a welder by trade. You go in there, and you have to leather up; it's hot. If it's 100 degrees outside, it's 110 inside, and you have to grind it out. If you want to keep that job, you have to grind it out. So, you've got the assembly line you're working with your hands, running screws installing seats, using impacts; it's not an easy job; it's a lot of wear and tear on your body."
Union members are demanding no concessions, record wage increases, and upgrades to working environments.
"We want the companies to treat their employees right. It's sad to see that we have people working here at Thomas Built Buses, which has been one of the major jobs since I've been growing up. Everybody wants to work at Thomas, Thomas, it's not that way anymore. The money is not there. Why would you come in and work like that when you're not getting paid? You've got people sleeping in their cars, people not eating, and that's not good," said Pratt.
We reached out to Daimler earlier this week. They sent us a statement following a practice picket by the union.
The statement reads:
"We can confirm that the active Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for our North Carolina production facilities and parts distribution centers in Atlanta and Memphis will expire at 11:59 pm (ET) on Friday, April 26. We are currently engaged in good faith CBA negotiations with our UAW partners for a new contract that will benefit all parties and allow Daimler Truck North America to continue delivering the products that enable our customers to keep the world moving."
WFMY News 2 contacted Daimler again on Friday. At this time, they said they do not have an updated statement to share with us.
If an agreement isn't reached by midnight, the strike will start. The timeline depends on how long it takes to reach an agreement. There is no telling how long the strike may last or how it could impact the company's production.