ARLINGTON, Texas — On Tuesday, 5,000 workers from the General Motors plant in Arlington joined the United Auto Workers strike.
These are the people who make some of GM's most profitable vehicles, like the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban, the GMC Yukon and the Cadillac Escalade. The Arlington location is the largest plant and moneymaker for the company.
Neighboring businesses are watching the walkout unfold.
"We are just a few hundred yards away," said Gene Cole, General Manager of meiGroup, a used car dealership that sits on the same street.
"We're not going to feel it right now. It will be a couple of months down the road," said Cole.
His dealership has 1,700 vehicles in the pipeline. That's about a three-month supply.
For now, Cole said in the used car market, he doesn't see prices escalating like they did last year during the shortage. His inventory, interest and prices are stable for now.
But he said it depends on each dealership too.
"If someone is living hand-to-mouth, going out and buying and selling right there, it will affect them quickly. If you've got a large pipeline built up, then it'll be a couple two to three months down the road," said Cole.
Dr. Ashish Sedai, Assistant Professor of Economics at UT Arlington, has been keeping a close eye on the local impact of the strike. He said this hurts General Motors the most.
"In terms of lost revenue for GM, it could mean somewhere around $200 million in the next two weeks," said Dr. Sedai.
If the strike goes longer than the next month, he predicts GM could lose around $500 million.
"Somebody's loss is somebody's gain in this very competitive car market," said Dr. Sedai.
If the strike prolongs, other car makers will start to see new customers. He said instead of competitors raising prices, they should be incentivized to attract customers they didn't have before.
Dr. Sedai also believes the strike can have cascading impacts on local restaurants and shops nearby. Lost wages mean less spending will happen.
"Local businesses will suffer because of that. There will be supply chain disruptions," said Dr. Sedai.
He said a swift resolution will be important for the economy.