United Automobile Workers of America (UAW)

tlong · April 2015

fintail said:
I often think random enthusiasts and hobbyist analysts could do no worse than the "leaders" with their huge salaries and lack of real world accountability. Insiders are often good, but now and then an outsider can help. GM seems to have a cradle to grave system that prevents such an idea.

Yeah, I've often thought that as well. Certainly many of us could do no worst than the worst of the incumbents.

tlong · April 2015

gagrice said:
GM buyers beware. Still hiding behind the Federal Government skirts. Sales are down. Now the 3rd largest automaker. If not for China they would lose to Ford. China sales are their only profitable market.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/15/news/companies/gm-bankruptcy/

And that's in a good economy. What happens when the inevitable downturn happens?
I've always said that the real test for GM will be during the next economic downturn. It's easy to make money when times are good - even the weak players can do pretty well.

berri · April 2015

The BK allowed GM to significantly slim down and improve it's finances. I learned long ago to never say "never", but Ford might actually be a bit more vulnerable at this moment. Don't just look at sales and net profit dollars, look at margins, cash flow and ROI. Turndown or not, after this bunch of post recession replacement sales volume slows down, I think the industry may need to consolidate, not just in the US, but worldwide. The US company that comes to my mind, is the one that was probably in the worst shape during the big recession, Chrysler. Fiat wasn't any better in Europe. But there are plenty of other automakers worldwide that could be in trouble in a few years, especially if China can actually put a good product out (although I'm reluctant and suspicious right now given all the Chinese crap you get in the stores these days). Mazda, Mitsubishi, Renault (particularly given the latest French government interference and the fact that I'm pretty sure Nissan is a severable piece in their joint company arrangement) all come to mind as potentially vulnerable to either a downsizing, or elimination from the worldwide market. I'm sure there are others. If GM or Ford goes, it will be a very ugly economy that will affect much more than the auto industry though. Another serious recession so soon would scare me about a depression instead.

andres3 · May 2015

Why wouldn't the gov't just bail GM out again if need be? They could double down on the poor decision by claiming Chrysler was bailed out twice, and it's only fair GM follow suit.

Michaell · May 2015

andres3 said:
Why wouldn't the gov't just bail GM out again if need be? They could double down on the poor decision by claiming Chrysler was bailed out twice, and it's only fair GM follow suit.

IIRC Chrysler wasn't "bailed out" with Federal dollars the first time. The US Government simply guaranteed the loans provided by private banks.

berri · May 2015

I'm sure that's the route the gov wanted to take again, but unfortunately the banks were also in crisis at the time. I don't get too upset by gov loan guarantees, provided they are thought out, but I am not a fan of gov equity positions. Many countries help their industries through guaranteed loans.

andres3 · May 2015

Michaell said:

andres3 said:
Why wouldn't the gov't just bail GM out again if need be? They could double down on the poor decision by claiming Chrysler was bailed out twice, and it's only fair GM follow suit.
IIRC Chrysler wasn't "bailed out" with Federal dollars the first time. The US Government simply guaranteed the loans provided by private banks.

So why should Wall Street and Michigan businesses get "GUARANTEED Gov't backed bank loans," that I'm sure help them get a better lower rate than they would otherwise? Why shouldn't the Average Joe on Main Street get this same low rate loan? Why only the 1%?

Michaell · May 2015

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

andres3 said:
Why wouldn't the gov't just bail GM out again if need be? They could double down on the poor decision by claiming Chrysler was bailed out twice, and it's only fair GM follow suit.
IIRC Chrysler wasn't "bailed out" with Federal dollars the first time. The US Government simply guaranteed the loans provided by private banks.
So why should Wall Street and Michigan businesses get "GUARANTEED Gov't backed bank loans," that I'm sure help them get a better lower rate than they would otherwise? Why shouldn't the Average Joe on Main Street get this same low rate loan? Why only the 1%?

How many manufacturers are offering 0% loans to finance new cars? Isn't that free money?

andres3 · May 2015

Michaell said:

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

andres3 said:
Why wouldn't the gov't just bail GM out again if need be? They could double down on the poor decision by claiming Chrysler was bailed out twice, and it's only fair GM follow suit.
IIRC Chrysler wasn't "bailed out" with Federal dollars the first time. The US Government simply guaranteed the loans provided by private banks.
So why should Wall Street and Michigan businesses get "GUARANTEED Gov't backed bank loans," that I'm sure help them get a better lower rate than they would otherwise? Why shouldn't the Average Joe on Main Street get this same low rate loan? Why only the 1%?
How many manufacturers are offering 0% loans to finance new cars? Isn't that free money?

Not really, as you have to buy their product to get 0%. My parents said 0% being better than 2.9% was a main reason they chose a Prius over an Accord. I chided them for that.

Now if you could get a 0% loan and then turn around and invest all of it in GM stock, that'd be something.

gagrice · May 2015

Still kind of slow going for UAW getting VW organized. Even if the UAW gets exclusive bargaining rights, they will have a tough time getting dues out of half the workforce.

ACE has 381 members among both hourly and salaried workers at the Chattanooga factory, according to the filing. By contrast, the UAW said last month it had 816 members among the hourly workers alone. That's about 55 percent of the blue-collar workforce.

http://news.yahoo.com/uaw-rival-vw-represented-union-avoidance-expert-211059842.html

stever · May 2015

Heh, a nonunion union. Nice turn of phrase.

gagrice · May 2015

stever said:
Heh, a nonunion union. Nice turn of phrase.

And they have hired a lawyer that specializes in Union Avoidance. I guess that way they will not be tempted to become a union. It has been more than a year since the election. Is the UAW a little afraid of losing a second time? I think they are hoping VW will just recognize them and avoid another vote. If Passat does not start selling better, they may just move production to Mexico. Seems like a large factory for only 6600 cars a month. Passat is off for the year by over 19%.

stever · May 2015

Thinking along the same lines - if sales don't pick up, they could mothball the factory for a while (Toyota in Blue Springs was mothballed for a couple of years, but that was before they ever built a car there). Coker's radical enough to encourage VW to shut down if the UAW gets recognized.

If VW had any sense, they'd make a pickup there and use the underpinnings for another SUV or three.

robr2 · May 2015

stever said:
Thinking along the same lines - if sales don't pick up, they could mothball the factory for a while (Toyota in Blue Springs was mothballed for a couple of years, but that was before they ever built a car there). Coker's radical enough to encourage VW to shut down if the UAW gets recognized.

If VW had any sense, they'd make a pickup there and use the underpinnings for another SUV or three.

That's the plan. The 7 seat CUV based on the MQB platform will be built in Chattanooga.

gagrice · May 2015

Hypothetical question? It seems the unions in Los Angeles want to be exempted from the new $15 MW going into effect. How will UAW workers making $15 per hour feel if a burger flipper makes as much as they do? Or even less than the UAW contracts just signed in Indiana for $11 per hour. Is this a Bernie Sanders utopia, where all labor is of equal value? See the writing between the lines?

Labor leaders, who were among the strongest supporters of the citywide minimum wage increase approved last week by the Los Angeles City Council, are advocating last-minute changes to the law that could create an exemption for companies with unionized workforces.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-los-angeles-minimum-wage-unions-20150526-story.html

tlong · May 2015

gagrice said:
Hypothetical question? It seems the unions in Los Angeles want to be exempted from the new $15 MW going into effect. How will UAW workers making $15 per hour feel if a burger flipper makes as much as they do? Or even less than the UAW contracts just signed in Indiana for $11 per hour. Is this a Bernie Sanders utopia, where all labor is of equal value? See the writing between the lines?

Labor leaders, who were among the strongest supporters of the citywide minimum wage increase approved last week by the Los Angeles City Council, are advocating last-minute changes to the law that could create an exemption for companies with unionized workforces.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-los-angeles-minimum-wage-unions-20150526-story.html

It's events like these where the hypocrisy becomes apparent. Unions all for the "worker" and the "common man" until somebody who isn't union does as well as the unions. Can't be threatening union power or value.

scwmcan · May 2015

Except that the unions are arguing that union employees should be allowed to earn less than the minimum wage. This is either a tactic to get more union members by getting employers to make their employees unionize so they can pay them less ( at least in the short term), or some other unknown tactic. In any case it seems they are not too worried about the well being of the union members, just the union leadership. It sounds to me the stupidest thing ever. Join our union so you can earn less than minimum wages, and pay union dues on top of that so you can bring home even less money, doesn't really sound like a winning proposition to me.

robr2 · May 2015

It may also be that those union employees get more in terms of benefits (health care, retirement) instead of higher wages. Those that are affected by the minimum wage typically don't see those benefits.

gagrice · May 2015

robr2 said:
It may also be that those union employees get more in terms of benefits (health care, retirement) instead of higher wages. Those that are affected by the minimum wage typically don't see those benefits.

Bingo, I think you hit the nail on the head. Health Care Insurance, Pensions and Dues are all money makers for the Unions. The Employer says I am not going to pay over $15 per hour total and what does the Union do?

Something that is happening in food service in places like Oregon is internal issues where the cooks make a couple bucks over the wait people. Add tips to the MW of $9.25 per hour and the cooks are saying you cook it and I will serve tables. Where my son works the owner has threatened to advertise NO TIPPING. Last I heard they were sharing the tips with the kitchen.

robr2 · May 2015

gagrice said:

robr2 said:
It may also be that those union employees get more in terms of benefits (health care, retirement) instead of higher wages. Those that are affected by the minimum wage typically don't see those benefits.

Bingo, I think you hit the nail on the head. Health Care Insurance, Pensions and Dues are all money makers for the Unions. The Employer says I am not going to pay over $15 per hour total and what does the Union do?

Something that is happening in food service in places like Oregon is internal issues where the cooks make a couple bucks over the wait people. Add tips to the MW of $9.25 per hour and the cooks are saying you cook it and I will serve tables. Where my son works the owner has threatened to advertise NO TIPPING. Last I heard they were sharing the tips with the kitchen.

Is healthcare insurance really a moneymaker for the unions? Do all unions manage the healthcare plans? IMHO, in today's expensive healthcare climate unions would want nothing to do with running those plans.

As for servers, cooks, and tips - the service staff making more than the line staff has always been the reality. If a cook wants to make what a server does, let her/him come out of the kitchen and deal with the public.

fintail · May 2015

Or just do more to pay people something closer to a living wage. Tipping is very much an American idea. Ayn Rand would probably approve.

gagrice · May 2015

Is healthcare insurance really a moneymaker for the unions? Do all unions manage the healthcare plans? IMHO, in today's expensive healthcare climate unions would want nothing to do with running those plans.

To hear the Union bosses ask for more on each contract you would not think so. However our Teamster Union turned over our HC to a private insurance company in the early 1990s and soon took it back over. When I retired the company was paying $1200 per month for my plan, and it was not nearly as good as I have under Medicare Advantage with Kaiser. A physical with blood work under our Teamster HC insurance cost me about $500 out of pocket. Under Medicare it is a total of $55. And I don't have any supplemental premiums. Just the $104 they take out of my SS every month.

Don't forget the 85 cents per hour the Teamsters took for their strike fund. And we had a no strike clause in our contract. There are lots of union people in service jobs making less than $15 per hour. At least what they see on their pay checks. Lots of union jobs under $15 per hour. Anyone think the companies will raise those currently above $15.

The UAW allowed Lear to pull a fast one sort of. They got rid of the two tier. And turned it into two separate contracts. Those on the top tier did well. The others not so well.

The UAW considers this a big win because it re-establishes the concept of equal pay for equal work inside the Hammond plant.

But the UAW also agreed to re-classify up to 310 workers as sub-assembly workers, who work at a nearby plant putting together smaller parts of the seats for a lower wage.

Some sub-assembly workers currently make $11 when they start and can earn up to $13.50 per hour. Separately, about 170 of those workers earned only $8.50 an hour from a separate company that did not provide health insurance.

Under the new contract, all sub-assembly workers will start at $12.10 and receive raises up to $15.25 by the end of the four-year contract. They will receive some health insurance.

http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2014/09/22/uaw-workers-indiana-approve-lear-contract/16041405/

berri · May 2015

I think the only reason the UAW ended up with healthcare is that it was part of the package negotiated with D3 to stay in business during the recent financial crisis. I believe the UAW got company stock to initially set it up and fund that.

marsha7 · June 2015

"Coker's radical enough to encourage VW to shut down if the UAW gets recognized."

I like the way Coker thinks...:):):)

stever · June 2015

"With about 100 days remaining on a four-year labor pact, United Auto Workers union locals are drawing up strike contingency plans to prepare members for potentially contentious negotiations with Detroit auto makers now awash in profits."

As Talks Near, UAW Steels for Strike (WSJ - currently a free link)

One question is whether the strike "talk" is just part of the UAW's normal bargaining process.

gagrice · June 2015

I know the rank and file are thinking they will have to go on strike to break the two tier wage schedule. The automakers have shared the loot with some decent bonuses. GM handed out $9k to the UAW workers? That is like getting a $3.50 per hour raise. I think the old UAW is back, and I would look for more factory closures and moves to Mexico and maybe Canada.

G.M. said that its ultimate decision was not based on a formula in the contract. Instead, the company said that the $9,000 figure was a combination of regular profit-sharing in addition to a $2,000 performance bonus.

GM Profits are hardly stellar. Not a stock I would own.

For the year, G.M. reported net income of $2.8 billion, a 31 percent decrease from $3.99 billion in 2013.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/business/gm-reports-2-8-billion-profit-in-2014.html?_r=0

GM needs to cut costs if they plan to stay in the business of making automobiles.

Despite the boom in the U.S. automotive industry, Toyota Motor Corp. earns more in a year than Detroit's Big Three automakers combined.

That doesn't tell the full story: When average earnings per vehicle are calculated, the Japanese automaker makes more than four times per car than General Motors Co.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2015/02/22/toyota-per-car-profits-beat-ford-gm-chrysler/23852189/

gagrice · July 2015

So who will win the battle of the wills? The D3 have already said no more jobs coming. UAW wants to end two tier wages. Will the top paid move down to meet the bottom workers coming up?

In the approach to this year's negotiations, the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research estimated the Detroit 3 won't create net new jobs. Total hourly employment will drift down slightly from 147,000 later this year to 145,000 by 2017, the center estimated.

Ford announced on the eve of the negotiations that it will move the next-generation Focus compact and C-Max out of Michigan in 2018. The UAW said production could move outside the U.S.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150719/NEWS/307199987/uaw-detroit-3-to-talk-about-wages-not-jobs-this-time

tlong · July 2015

gagrice said:
So who will win the battle of the wills? The D3 have already said no more jobs coming. UAW wants to end two tier wages. Will the top paid move down to meet the bottom workers coming up?

In the approach to this year's negotiations, the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research estimated the Detroit 3 won't create net new jobs. Total hourly employment will drift down slightly from 147,000 later this year to 145,000 by 2017, the center estimated.

Ford announced on the eve of the negotiations that it will move the next-generation Focus compact and C-Max out of Michigan in 2018. The UAW said production could move outside the U.S.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150719/NEWS/307199987/uaw-detroit-3-to-talk-about-wages-not-jobs-this-time

I always figured Ford would hedge its bets against a return to militancy of the union. They're going to move jobs if the union things it can start getting $90K for floorsweepers again.

stever · July 2015

gagrice said:
Will the top paid move down to meet the bottom workers coming up?

Heh, could happen I suppose.

(I was going to just type LOL, but decided to hedge my bets)

gagrice · July 2015

stever said:

gagrice said:
Will the top paid move down to meet the bottom workers coming up?
Heh, could happen I suppose.

(I was going to just type LOL, but decided to hedge my bets)

I know that is not likely with GM or Ford. Chrysler having a much larger percentage of low paid workers may not buckle to UAW demands. Or they may do away with the two tier and go to job classifications like some of the suppliers have done with recent UAW contracts.

But the UAW also agreed to re-classify up to 310 workers as sub-assembly workers, who work at a nearby plant putting together smaller parts of the seats for a lower wage.

Some sub-assembly workers currently make $11 when they start and can earn up to $13.50 per hour. Separately, about 170 of those workers earned only $8.50 an hour from a separate company that did not provide health insurance.

Under the new contract, all sub-assembly workers will start at $12.10 and receive raises up to $15.25 by the end of the four-year contract. They will receive some health insurance.

http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2014/09/22/uaw-workers-indiana-approve-lear-contract/16041405/

stever · July 2015

Does seem like a better solution, and when you kick in the benefits, it amounts to a good raise.

slorenzen · July 2015

Boy, won't these UAW guys be pissed when they see this:

http://www.opb.org/news/article/coalition-starts-effort-to-raise-minimum-wage-to-1350-an-hour/

gagrice · July 2015

slorenzen said:
Boy, won't these UAW guys be pissed when they see this:

http://www.opb.org/news/article/coalition-starts-effort-to-raise-minimum-wage-to-1350-an-hour/

So then do you have to raise the Chef's pay so they are making the same as the wait people with tips. I know at Busters they are now splitting the tips with the cooks. Time to do away with tipping I would say.

stever · July 2015

Wait staff have been sharing tips with cooks and busers for years.

Unless they want to get tripped (or worse) plating food.

Some places make everyone share tips - they divide them up at the end of the night and then everyone heads to the bars.

fintail · July 2015

Tipping isn't a thing in fully developed mature countries - offer respectable wages, and maybe it'll go away.

Of course, had minimum wage kept up with the declining value of the dollar and most cost of living inputs from the time the geezers were able to use it to fund college, it'd be closer to $15 than what it is now.

gagrice said:

So then do you have to raise the Chef's pay so they are making the same as the wait people with tips. I know at Busters they are now splitting the tips with the cooks. Time to do away with tipping I would say.

stever · July 2015

"The decision is bad news, however, for the plant’s 1,280 full-time employees, including 1,000 or so UAW workers who had expected to begin negotiations on a new contract next month. They are the only unionized workforce at a Japanese-owned auto factory in the U.S."

Mitsubishi Pulls The Plug On U.S. Factory After Years Of Subsidies (Forbes)

gagrice · July 2015

stever said:
"The decision is bad news, however, for the plant’s 1,280 full-time employees, including 1,000 or so UAW workers who had expected to begin negotiations on a new contract next month. They are the only unionized workforce at a Japanese-owned auto factory in the U.S."

Mitsubishi Pulls The Plug On U.S. Factory After Years Of Subsidies (Forbes)

Bottom line, Illinois is a horrible state to do business in. Even when they are generous with tax payer dollars.

“If they could have a do over, I’m sure they’d rather have a non-union plant in a right-to-work state that could offer them more tax breaks than cash-strapped Illinois.”

robr2 · July 2015

gagrice said:

stever said:
"The decision is bad news, however, for the plant’s 1,280 full-time employees, including 1,000 or so UAW workers who had expected to begin negotiations on a new contract next month. They are the only unionized workforce at a Japanese-owned auto factory in the U.S."

Mitsubishi Pulls The Plug On U.S. Factory After Years Of Subsidies (Forbes)

Bottom line, Illinois is a horrible state to do business in. Even when they are generous with tax payer dollars.

“If they could have a do over, I’m sure they’d rather have a non-union plant in a right-to-work state that could offer them more tax breaks than cash-strapped Illinois.”

Unfortunately that wasn't a choice when they built the plant. It was a joint venture with Chrysler so a non-union plant wasn't in the cards.

andres3 · July 2015

I almost forgot about Chrysler and Mitsubishi's flings and affairs of the past. Let me cross Mitsubishi off of my "consideration" list for the association. Maybe now they'll reconsider staying in the US auto business due to my change of relationship status with them

robr2 · July 2015

You said you would stop bringing it up.

andres3 · July 2015

robr2 said:
You said you would stop bringing it up.

I have, I've only added Mitsubishi to the list, which is "news-worthy" to mention.

stever · September 2015

Fiat Chrysler CEO skips Frankfurt show; UAW deal may be near (Yahoo)

gagrice · September 2015

Looks like the rank and file may reject the contract hashed out between FCA and UAW.

The UAW reached a tentative agreement with Fiat Chrysler last week but that agreement must be ratified by a majority of about 40,000 UAW members at 37 UAW local units across the U.S. for it to become official. A rejection of the contract would throw the UAW's efforts to negotiate new contracts with Fiat Chrysler, Ford and General Motors into massive turmoil.

At UAW Local 1166, which represents workers at Kokomo Casting, 59% of production workers voted to reject the contract while the skilled trades workers split their vote 50% to 50%, according to a person who was not authorized to speak publicly about the results.

http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/chrysler/2015/09/24/mixed-results-early-voting-uaw-fca-contract/72737274/

tlong · September 2015

gagrice said:
Looks like the rank and file may reject the contract hashed out between FCA and UAW.

The UAW reached a tentative agreement with Fiat Chrysler last week but that agreement must be ratified by a majority of about 40,000 UAW members at 37 UAW local units across the U.S. for it to become official. A rejection of the contract would throw the UAW's efforts to negotiate new contracts with Fiat Chrysler, Ford and General Motors into massive turmoil.

At UAW Local 1166, which represents workers at Kokomo Casting, 59% of production workers voted to reject the contract while the skilled trades workers split their vote 50% to 50%, according to a person who was not authorized to speak publicly about the results.

http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/chrysler/2015/09/24/mixed-results-early-voting-uaw-fca-contract/72737274/

Just watch, the greedy union will see a position of power due to current strong economy and good profits. Then just as they get GM to agree to some unreasonable contract improvements, the economy will tank, sales will go down, and GM will be back in financial trouble.

Hopefully that doesn't happen but it wouldn't surprise me if it did.

fintail · September 2015

Funny thing - I wouldn't be surprised that if GM had the same labor and environmental costs as our most favored "partner" China, they still might not be a viable concern, due to sixty-leven levels of useless middle management, cereal box MBAs aplenty, arrogant overpaid execs, etc who either have the engineering and design groups hamstrung, or are hiring via cronyism.

tlong said:

Just watch, the greedy union will see a position of power due to current strong economy and good profits. Then just as they get GM to agree to some unreasonable contract improvements, the economy will tank, sales will go down, and GM will be back in financial trouble.

Hopefully that doesn't happen but it wouldn't surprise me if it did.

gagrice · September 2015

Be careful what you ask for, you may get it. This is exactly what I told Rocky would happen. He said no way. Now it is one tier with several pay scales.

DETROIT -- In a few years, there will be only one pay tier for UAW members at the Detroit 3 -- just as they demanded.

But it won't be the one they wanted.

If the union's tentative contract with Fiat Chrysler is any indication, the surviving tier will be the lower one: The rich, traditional jobs will go away over time, replaced by a class of auto workers earning less in wages and benefits than the highest-paid today.

http://www.autonews.com/article/20150926/OEM01/309289954/uaw-fca-deal-dooms-tier-1-if-passed

tlong · September 2015

gagrice said:
Be careful what you ask for, you may get it. This is exactly what I told Rocky would happen. He said no way. Now it is one tier with several pay scales.

DETROIT -- In a few years, there will be only one pay tier for UAW members at the Detroit 3 -- just as they demanded.

But it won't be the one they wanted.

If the union's tentative contract with Fiat Chrysler is any indication, the surviving tier will be the lower one: The rich, traditional jobs will go away over time, replaced by a class of auto workers earning less in wages and benefits than the highest-paid today.

http://www.autonews.com/article/20150926/OEM01/309289954/uaw-fca-deal-dooms-tier-1-if-passed

We all love Rocky and admire his optimism. But he's not very realistic.
How is he doing these days?

gagrice · September 2015

tlong said:

gagrice said:
Be careful what you ask for, you may get it. This is exactly what I told Rocky would happen. He said no way. Now it is one tier with several pay scales.

DETROIT -- In a few years, there will be only one pay tier for UAW members at the Detroit 3 -- just as they demanded.

But it won't be the one they wanted.

If the union's tentative contract with Fiat Chrysler is any indication, the surviving tier will be the lower one: The rich, traditional jobs will go away over time, replaced by a class of auto workers earning less in wages and benefits than the highest-paid today.

http://www.autonews.com/article/20150926/OEM01/309289954/uaw-fca-deal-dooms-tier-1-if-passed
We all love Rocky and admire his optimism. But he's not very realistic.
How is he doing these days?

Muddling along. Got a truck driving license. Finding the jobs less enticing than he would like.

stever · October 2015

Did the hug kill it?

"Over the past two weeks UAW members appear to have overwhelmingly rejected a contract that their elected union leaders openly celebrated, dealing an embarrassing blow to UAW President Dennis Williams and his leadership team.

But UAW members, many expecting their leaders to challenge rather than be chummy with management, recoiled when they saw photos of Williams and Marchionne embracing in July as contract talks began."

UAW didn't get through to members (Detroit News)

gagrice · October 2015

I see a strike coming at FCA. They thought Williams would bring them all together with same wages and benefits. I don't think that will ever happen with any of the D3. This was actually a pretty decent contract bringing the tier two people over $25 per hour. Starting pay was kicked up to $17.xx. I was surprised he got as much as he did from Fiat.

If they strike my bet is Fiat starts moving operations to Mexico. The Domestics have proven they can sell Mexican made vehicles just as easy as ones made here or Canada.

United Automobile Workers of America (UAW)

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