73,000 workers at General Motors walked off their jobs Monday in the company’s first nationwide strike in three decades. The United Auto Workers said it called for the strike after GM refused to accept the union’s demand to protect workers’ jobs and benefits. According to the Detroit Free Press, General Motors is pushing the UAW to allow it to lower labor costs — by transferring responsibility for retiree health to an independent trust, freezing cost-of-living increases and instituting a new level of benefits for new hires. The strike has shut down 80 General Motors facilities in 30 states. The union has nearly $900 million in its strike fund, enough to cover a two-month walkout.