The American head of one of Alabama’s automakers says he hopes a threatened strike against the Big Three American car makers can be averted before midnight Thursday.

“I hope everybody will end their discussions in a good way,” José Muñoz, president and chief operating officer of Hyundai Motor Co. and president and CEO of Hyundai Motors North America, said. “No strike is good for anybody.”

Forbes is reporting Muñoz made the comments during a side discussion following a ribbon-cutting at Hyundai’s new safety test and investigation lab near Ypsilanti, Mich.

The United Auto Workers is threatening to strike against the Big Three – General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, which builds vehicles under the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands for North America.

The strikes would be targeted to a small number of factories per company. It would be the first time in the union’s 80-plus-year history that it struck all three companies at the same time.

Muñoz said he is confident Hyundai won’t be affected by any disruption in the supply chain, based on the experience of dealing with COVID-caused disruptions.

“I think we were one of the companies who did a better job in terms of getting the sourcing of chips and many other critical components,” he said. “We are, I think, stronger than we’ve ever been before basically by localizing more, by having alternatives.”

The United Auto Workers in Alabama represent members making aircraft and automotive parts in 11 separate locals, but the percentage of workers at its major auto plants has remained low, as Alabama is a right-to-work state.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, union members accounted for 7.2 percent of wage and salary workers in Alabama last year, compared with 5.9 percent in 2021, which was an all-time low. Union membership peaked in 1993, when it averaged 14.7 percent.