GM strike talks move move final final – Detroit Free Press, Freep.com

The UAW told members Wednesday, on day 10 of the union’s nationwide strike against General Motors, that talks had advanced, but negotiators then went home for the night.

In a letter sent to UAW members Wednesday afternoon, Terry Dittes, vice president for the UAW’s GM Department, said UAW negotiators have been working “countless hours” to reach a tentative contract with GM.

“All unsettled proposals are now at the main table and have been presented to General Motors and we are awaiting their response,” Dittes said in the letter. “This back and forth will continue until negotiations are complete.”

But people close to both sides said early Wednesday evening that talks had broken off for the day.

Dittes’ letter does means subcommittee work is complete and bargainers are entering the final phase of negotiations. Talks ending for the night suggest that wide differences remain on big issues.

“We will continue to bargain the contract until your bargaining committee is satisfied that we have achieved an agreement that properly addresses our members’ concerns,” Dittes wrote.

GM said, “We continue to talk and our goal remains to reach an agreement that builds a stronger future for our employees and our company.”

(At) : 01 am Monday, Sept. 16, about 46, 000 UAW workers at GM facilities nationwide went on strike. The UAW had rejected GM’s initial contract proposal made two hours before the old contract expired at midnight Sept. 14.

Since then, bargainers have met daily, including over the weekend, from early morning until evening. It’s the UAW’s longest strike since 1985 when the union went out for 12 days against Chrysler, according to the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor.

Former negotiators for GM and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said the long strike as well as the evening recesses indicate the two sides still have a lot of unresolved issues to hammer out.

More:GM-UAW negotiations appear to be intensifying: Why it’s taking so long

More:It’s the No. 1 contract request from workers – and GM, UAW can’t agree on it

UAW members have been angry over GM’s decision last fall to idle four of its US factories: Detroit-Hamtramck, Lordstown Assembly in Ohio, and transmission plants Warren and Baltimore.

Sources familiar with the initial offer by GM said it included a 2% wage increases in two of the contract’s four years and 2% lump-sum payouts in the other years, an offer the union rejected. The 2015 contract provided a 3% wage increase and a 4% lump sum. Likewise, GM had asked for UAW workers to pay 15% of their health care costs, up from the 3% they currently pay. The union rejected that too, and GM walked it back to 3%.

A major issue involves temporary workers. The UAW wants a pathway to make them permanent and give them better benefits along the way. Temporary workers make up 7% – 10%, or 4, 100, of GM’s US hourly workers. They often do the same work as permanent workers, but for less pay and fewer benefits, and they can remain classified as temporary for many years.

GM wants to ensure its ability to tap a temporary workforce. Using lower-paid temporary workers saves money and gives GM flexibility to reduce staff when the market slows. Also, using more temps will allow GM to be more cost competitive with foreign-based companies that build vehicles in the United States.

The union, during the recession a decade ago, agreed to expanded hiring of temps by GM, Ford and what then was Chrysler. Those workers are paid $ – $ 18 an hour with no profit sharing, little time off and no job protection.

Regarding the endangered factories, GM said it offered $ 7 billion in U.S. investment over the next four years. People familiar with the offer told the Free Press about half of the 5, 400 jobs would be new and the rest to be counted in the total would be considered retained because of new investment. And, while the $ 7 billion would be invested in facilities with UAW representation, some would be joint ventures with contracts separate from the union’s contract with GM.

It is believed that GM has proposed electric vehicle production for Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly and battery production in Lordstown.

The autoworker strike is one of two UAW strikes against GM facilities. Maintenance workers with Aramark, with which GM contracts for services, struck five sites in Michigan and Ohio 24 hours before the autoworkers went on strike.

The 850 striking Aramark janitors are paid from $ 11 – $ 15. 18 per hour and had been working on a contract extension since March 2018 . They described some of the work they do as dangerous, using extremely high-pressure water to clean equipment in the paint shop, for example. The status of those talks is unclear.

People close to GM and the UAW told the Free Press it is important to reach a tentative new contract with Aramark around the same time as reaching one with GM. Otherwise, UAW workers for either side face the possibility of crossing the others’ picket lines.

Contact Jamie L. LaReau: 313 – 222 – 2149 or******* [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter@jlareauan. Read more on(General Motorsand sign up for ourautos newsletter.

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