KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) _ Members of a United Auto Workers union local are on strike Monday at the General Motors' Fairfax plant that makes GM's popular Malibu sedan.

UAW Local 31 set a strike deadline of 9 a.m. Monday after union negotiators decided that a settlement was not near. The Fairfax plant employs more than 2,500 UAW members.

The plant makes the Chevrolet Malibu, a medium-sized sedan that was named "Car of the Year'' at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The strike hits a key GM product at a time when the company can ill afford it. Last week GM announced that it lost 3.3 billion dollars in the first quarter, due largely to one-time charges and North American losses that offset gains in the rest of the world.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)