DETROIT – As the strike at American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. lingers into its eighth week, workers on the picket line and even the president of the United Auto Workers say the longer they’re out, the better the settlement they will expect.

The strike, which has slowed production of General Motors Corp.’s pickup trucks and SUVs and is starting to affect car factories, could drag on even longer.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said during the weekend that the pace of negotiations has been “excruciatingly slow,” which he says is the company’s strategy.

“We are not close to a settlement,” he said Saturday night.

About 3,600 UAW members have been on strike at American Axle’s five U.S. facilities since Feb. 26.

As talks continued Monday, GM announced that the strike impact had widened even further. The company said it would cut one of three shifts at an Oshawa, Ontario, factory that makes the Chevrolet Impala and Buick Lacrosse sedans. It also cut production of four-speed car and truck transmissions at a factory in Ypsilanti Township, about 30 miles west of Detroit.

The strike affected production at 30 GM factories in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, plus a plant in Indiana owned by AM General that makes Hummers for GM. The factories employ more than 43,000 workers, although not all of them have been laid off.

Dozens of other parts suppliers also have been affected, including Lemforder, an auto parts maker that employs about 210 people in Brewer, Maine. Lemforder said last month that the strike had resulted in the “temporary volunteer layoff” of 10 of its employees.

Workers interviewed on the picket lines at American Axle’s Detroit complex last week said they wouldn’t accept a contract with big concessions after striking for such a long time.

“It would be stupid,” said James Keevis, an electrician who has been with American Axle for 13 years. “We’ll wait it out.”