The United Auto Workers Monday were poised to strike General Motors if agreement on a new contract covering 73,000 employees could not be reached by 11 a.m.

The labor union said it set the firm strike deadline "due to the failure of General Motors to address job security and other mandatory issues of bargaining."

"We’re shocked and disappointed that General Motors has failed to recognize and appreciate what our membership has contributed during the past four years," UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said in a statement.

GM said the automaker was "fully committed to working with the UAW" and would "continue focusing our efforts on reaching an agreement as soon as possible."

The UAW often sets strike deadlines as a way of putting pressure on company negotiators to wrap up last-minute details, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Gettelfinger also has a history of making 11th-hour proposals to sweeten contract deals, the newspaper said.

The last time the union went on strike at GM was in 1998, when workers walked out in Flint, Mich., The Detroit News reported. // Copyright 2007 by United Press International