The United Auto Workers union said just after midnight Tuesday (14 September) it would extend its national labour agreement with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on an hour-by-hour basis, signalling hope it could reach a tentative pact on a new four-year deal overnight, marketwatch.com reported though there was no sign of that so far. At 5am EST, the Detroit Free Press' Alisa Priddle tweeted: "…still awaiting UAW deal with Fiat Chrysler."

Marketwatch said the contract expired at 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday but talks continued past the deadline. Typically, during talks, the UAW will agree to extend the current agreement indefinitely once it expires but to do so by the hour is an unusual move, the report said. FCA confirmed the hourly extension in a statement.

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UAW leaders picked Fiat Chrysler on Sunday to lead negotiations for the Detroit Three.

The extension signals the two sides are still working to hammer out details on wages, benefits and other economic issues crucial to winning rank-and-file support. Ford and GM also extended their contracts on Monday, marketwatch.com said.

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