Auto workers in the US have launched a historic series of strikes after their union failed to reach an agreement with the country"s three largest vehicle manufacturers. The disagreement over a new contract saw workers at Ford, Stellantis and GM plants called out from the shop floor to the picket lines shortly after midnight on Friday, kicking off the most ambitious industrial labor action in decades for about 130,000 workers. Workers are pushing for at least a 40% wage increase over four years in a new contract; an end to two-tier wage systems in which new hires are paid significantly less for doing the same work; an increase to benefits for retirees and return of a defined pension