Here's why you shouldn't be surprised auto workers are asking for a 46% pay raise

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/07/ [login to see] /unions-strike-wages-uaw-automakers-detroit
As a potential strike looms over the Detroit Three automakers, the United Auto Workers union is pushing for a substantial pay raise for its members: 46% over four years.

It's a raise that Marcelina Pedraza, a Ford electrician in Chicago, thinks is long overdue.

"Everything's going up — the cost of food, gas, mortgage interest rates," Pedraza said. "A lot of people haven't been able to have a safety net anymore."

UAW, which represents 150,000 workers at General Motors, Stellantis and Ford, is not alone in asking for big pay raises over the course of their contract. In recent months, workers across industries have fought for — and, in a handful of cases, won — around 50% wage increases over the next four to five years, as they call out years of stagnant wages and robust company profits.