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More than 400 UAW workers in Defiance hit the picket line against GM

Workers in the picket line said they are thankful for the support they are receiving from the community.

DEFIANCE, Ohio — The 429 unionized GM workers in Defiance went to the picket line Monday morning following the lead of fellow workers all over the country. 

The employee parking lot at the Defiance GM Powertrain plant sat empty Monday.

But 20 yards away, along State Route 18, members of UAW local 211 occupied the picket line, waving to passing drivers.

Although this GM facility employs more than 500 people, 429 of them are members of the union who are currently on strike.

Picket Shift Leader Ray Jimenez said the vote in August was one of the toughest he's seen his colleagues go through, but they say the walkout is needed.

Jimenez said all of the GM workers voted to allow large concessions in their last contract negotiations back in 2007 to help keep GM afloat during the recession.

But now that the auto manufacturer has recovered, they said it's time for the company to come back and help those who continue to work in the plants.

"Pick up that gap, we helped them out. And that's all we want, to give back and help us out. They've made a lot of profit, everybody knows that, and that's all we're asking, is to share, share it with us. That's what we want," Jimenez said.

Many workers in Defiance said they feel for plant workers at the manufacturing level who they think deserve pay increases and better benefits.

Many outside the Defiance GM Powertrain Monday said they are hopeful this negotiation process won't take longer than a few days. But they also said they are willing to holdout as long as necessary. 

Even though the picket line is about half a mile outside of town, this didn't stop drivers from driving by and showing their support for the union workers.

"We like it, that support, the community is behind us. We've even had a business owner here brought us some pizza. So we're getting support. And obviously you can hear the honking going by, so that helps us and motivates us," Jimenez said. 

A handful of union members came into work shortly Monday to help shut-down operations.

WTOL has reached out to local elected officials Monday but they all declined to comment. They said they would rather wait a few days to see how the current negotiations pan out before worrying about how this strike could impact the local economy. 

RELATED: 2K GM workers in NW Ohio join a nationwide strike against GM

RELATED: GM walkout brings factories and warehouses to a standstill

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