Creve Coeur auto shop owner expresses deep concerns about UAW strike

PEORIA (25News Now) - The strike underway against the Big Three automakers - General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis - will soon be felt at car lots and repair shops.

The pandemic put a strain on the car parts supply chain, so the UAW walkout is unwelcome news for Adolf Walters, owner of ACA Enterprises in Creve Coeur.

“I’m trying to sink it into my head of being incomprehensible at how bad it could get,” said Walters, who’s repair shop dates back to the 1940s.

“Every day, I beg for parts on this phone and getting them is harder every year it seems.”

“Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Jeep, Chevrolet, and General Motors, those are all your vehicles that are under your Big Three, so it’s quite a large umbrella that covers that,” says Ashley Bradshaw, marketing director for Green Chevrolet in Peoria.

Walters shared with us what the delivery driver from Ford said to him Thursday morning.

“He said his job as a delivery driver, if they go on strike, because if they don’t get parts. I can’t get parts, which means that they are not delivering any parts.”

Just one example of the backlog is a 2018 Ford Escape. It needs a new shutter.

The shutter allows air to flow, but right now, he’s the 2,000th person in line before that car can get a new one.

“If you’re looking for a car, you’re going to see a price inflation that way. If you already have a vehicle, you can see it when your car is going to be down for a lot longer period of time because we can’t get parts,” said Bradshaw.

If fewer cars are produced, inventory could dry up and increase cars’ sticker price.

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