Autoworkers are on the verge of a historic strike

The United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain revealed the first group of plants that would go on strike starting at 11:59pm Thursday night if the union and the companies — Ford , General Motors and Stellantis — fail to reach agreements on new contracts.

"This is our generation's defining moment," Fain told UAW members at a Facebook Live event.

This would be the 17th strike in the U.S. involving more than 2,000 workers so far this year , according to data from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations .

General Motors attempted to head off a strike with a down-to-the-wire offer on Thursday afternoon , a proposal CEO Mary Barra called a "compelling and unprecedented economic package".