NEWS REPORT: CAW votes to authorize strikes against GM, Ford and Chrysler.

The Canadian Auto Workers Union may soon be a thing of the past, but it still has to negotiate one more contract with the Big Three before its planned merger with the Canadian Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union. The current deal expires on Sept. 17, so CAW representatives are meeting with the automakers this week in Toronto – and they're coming armed with a strike authorization, according to The Detroit News.

While we can't call the vote unanimous, some 99 percent ofChrysler union members voted in favor of walking out, with 98 percent of General Motors workers and 97 percent of Ford workers authorizing the action if the parties can't come to terms. According to the report, the last CAW strike occurred in 1996.