Workers at Volkswagen plants across Germany walked off the job in waves on Monday for temporary work stoppages, marking the start of nationwide strikes against the German auto giant. About 66,000 VW employees - more than half of VW's factory workforce in Germany - joined the strikes,

Workers at nine of Volkswagen's care and component factories in Germany were on strike Monday amid a dispute over labor contract changes and factory closings.

Volkswagen AG workers across Germany began striking Monday over the automaker's plans to cut costs. The German company is planning to slash jobs and pay and close factories, as it struggles with Chinese competition, high costs, and sluggish demand for electric vehicles (EVs).