[1/3] United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain joins UAW members who are on a strike, on the picket line at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, U.S., September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook Acquire Licensing RightsWAYNE, Michigan, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Hundreds of people, including auto workers on the night shift and their supporters, gathered at a Ford (F.N) assembly plant in Wayne, Michigan as members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union walked off the job to begin a historic strike. "This is what union looks like," said Mike Lester, a supporter who works at a supplier to the major automakers. But UAW President Shawn Fain has said Ford could have funded better pay and benefits for workers if it curtailed stock buybacks and dividends to shareholders. As the strike began, Fain and Debbie Dingell, a Democratic U.S. representative from Michigan, were among the high-profile visitors to Ford's Wayne plant, where about 3,300 UAW members assemble popular Bronco SUVs and Ranger pickup trucks.

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Persons: Shawn Fain, Rebecca Cook, Mike Lester, Ford, Jim Farley, Fain, Debbie Dingell, Ford's Wayne, Dingell, Eric Cox, Jamie Freed, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: United Auto Workers, Ford Michigan Assembly Plant, REUTERS, UAW, General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Wayne , Michigan, U.S, WAYNE , Michigan, Democratic U.S, Michigan, Ford's