‘This fight is for everybody’: US autoworkers strike to restore the middle class

The next generation of autoworkers faces a future with no healthcare or retirement - unless the union prevails

When Ryder Littlejohn started working at Ford in 1994 his starting wage was $12.45 an hour with a path to go full rate after three years at $25 an hour.

A third-generation autoworker, Littlejohn noted that adjusted for inflation, his starting rate was over $20 an hour in today's dollars and a full rate of $45 an hour, with pension, retiree healthcare and cost-of-living adjustment.