This general strike was announced in October 2023 after the UAW had just finished striking to secured a new contract. The UAW received the best contract in decades, which includes COLA and the right to strike over plant closures, as well as the largest wage increases in the industry, to the extent the non-union plants had to raise wages to prevent people from quitting. UAW will strike before 2028 if the car companies try to close any of the plants.

The UAW announced that it was their plan to grow union power over the next 5 years with the intention of having a powerful strike at the end of their contract. The UAW chose to end their contract on April 30, 2028 in reference to international labor day, May 1. The UAW said it was their intentional to unionize 2 or 3 more major car manufacturers before 2028. In April 2024, the UAW unionized the Volkswagen VW plant in Chattanooga TN. This shows that UAW is working towards their goal of expanding the size of their union beyond "The Big Three": Ford, GM, Stellantis.

Today, the AFT union announced that they ending their contract on the same day as the UAW so that they can participate in the same strike. Which shows that the momentum towards this general strike is growing.