ARLINGTON, TX (2007-09-24) Enrique Flores, president UAW Local 276
At 10 o'clock today Texas time we received instructions from the international union that negotiations had come to an impasse after months of negotiating. At that time we took UAW local 276 out on strike.

Bill Zeeble, KERA reporter: UAW Local 276 president Enrique Flores Jr. made that announcement at union headquarters, near the Arlington plant. He said there'd been no strike here since 1998, when a brief walkout affected Arlington only. But this walkout's national. Some 73 thousand workers have closed down GM plants across North America. In Arlington, that means a pair of 8-hour shifts and one maintenance shift at the million dollar a day operation, have stopped. So no more trucks or SUVs, like Yukons and Escalades are rolling of production lines. Charlotte Yeatherman, 27 years with General Motors, tells how it happened Monday morning.

Charlotte Yeatherman, Suggestions Administrator The shop committee tells us if we hear a whistle go off, then we leave. Immediately. That's exactly what happened. Whistle went, we all started leaving, right at 10.

by Bill Zeeble