UAW strikes GM Kansas plant making Chevy Malibu : US Business

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp workers at a Kansas assembly plant making the hot-selling Chevrolet Malibu went on strike as of Monday morning, an official at United Auto Workers union Local 31 said.

The plant in Fairfax, Kansas, employs about 1,800 workers and went on strike at 9 a.m. CDT (10 a.m. EDT) Monday morning, the UAW local official said.

GM makes the 2008 Malibu in Kansas and at a second plant in Orion, Michigan.

The sedan has been a commercial and critical success for GM at a time of slumping overall demand, selling for higher transaction prices and at a faster rate than the model it replaced since its launch late last year.

(Reporting by Kevin Krolicki, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

(c) Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.