U.S. manufacturing output barely rose in August amid a decline in motor vehicle production, and activity could contract in the months ahead after the United Auto Workers (UAW) union embarked on strikes at three factories on Friday. The strikes, which for now only involve 12,700 of the affected 146,000 UAW members, were launched at a time when manufacturing is already struggling under the weight of the Federal Reserve's hefty interest rate increases, which have reduced demand for goods, typically