Hundreds of UAW workers at the Freightliner plant north of Charlotte, NC, went on strike late Tuesday night.

A union leader told the Charlotte Observer the walk-out was prompted by concerns about plant safety – not wage issues. However, in December 2006, Freightliner announced it would cut 1,200 of the plant’s 4,000 jobs because of slumping sales.

The company also announced it is opening a plant in Mexico that will employ up to 1,600 people.

Last week, the last Freightliner truck to be built in Portland, OR, rolled off the line. The company said it’s shifting production to the North Carolina plant and the new facility in Mexico.