The United Auto Workers Local 440 at the General Motors plant in Bedford prepared for a possible strike Thursday night.
Shortly before ten, national leadership informed them their plant was not one the three selected to begin striking Friday.
Read more: As union contract expires, Indiana's UAW autoworkers aren't 'standing up' to strike – yet
President of the UAW Local 440 Derek Cronin said workers in his union had expected to strike this week, but as the deadline approached, things looked less certain.
“I don't think we really knew what to expect,” he said. “I think that part of the strategy behind it is to keep the company on its toes.”
Read more: EV anxiety drives tension in UAW-automaker contract talks as Indiana prepares for new battery plants
But Bedford workers are standing by. The UAW plans to bring more plants into the strike the longer it goes, ramping up pressure on GM, Stellantis and Ford.
That means the Bedford union could be called to walk out at any time.
It’s a new strategy for the UAW, and Bedford workers clock in Friday without a new contract in place.
“This is an unusual time,” Cronin said. “It's unique, because we're going to be going into work tomorrow without a contract, our contract has expired. So that kind of puts in play a few different rules on how we're going to be operating.”
The Bedford plant is an aluminum die casting facility. It produces cylinder blocks, transmission cases and EV drive unit housings: essential parts that other manufacturing facilities rely on. Should workers there strike, it could have a major impact down the supply chain.
The last time the UAW went on strike at GM was in 2019.
