In Germany, tens of thousands of auto workers at nine Volkswagen plants have gone on strike after VW demanded 10% wage cuts and threatened to close German factories for the first time in its 87-year history. Members of the IG Metall union staged two-hour work stoppages and threatened to begin an open-ended strike unless VW managers drop their demands for plant closures. This is Daniela Hildebrandt, one of about 14,000 striking workers at VW’s Hanover plant. 

Daniela Hildebrandt: “We are totally ready to go on strike. The mood is obviously subdued, since they show absolutely no goodwill. We are all scared. Many of those who are nearing retirement are really scared that they could lose their job now. I am a mother of two children. I commute over an hour every day to come to work here. I love my job. I don’t want to lose it.”

Volkswagen is Germany’s largest private employer.