Following the expiration of contracts at midnight on Friday, state leaders and lawmakers on the state and national stage are weighing in as the United Auto Workers (UAW) union begins its historic strike on Michigan’s Detroit Three automakers. With support from other labor groups, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Michigan and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) — of which the UAW is a member — the union is holding its first set of stand up strikes at automotive plants in Wentzville, Mo.; Toledo, Ohio; and Wayne, Mich.