UAW STRIKES AGAIN..AT CHRYSLER
NEW YORK — More than 31,000 members of the United Auto Workers union struck Chrysler LLC Wednesday morning, after marathon labor talks between the union and the money-losing automaker failed to avert the industry’s second strike in two weeks.
The strike affects 19 manufacturing plants and 22 other facilities, spread across 14 states. The only facilities not subject to the strike are five assembly plants that Chrysler had already scheduled to be shut down due to excess inventory of the vehicles that they make. Those plants employ another 13,500 hourly workers.
Picket lines went up Wednesday morning at Chrysler, as the UAW started its second major auto strike in the last two weeks.
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While neither union nor company spokespeople had any immediate comment, people from both sides confirmed the start of the strike to CNN and CNNMoney.com. One source familiar with the negotiations said talks went right up to the 11 a.m. deadline before ending, and that he knew of no new talks being scheduled.
The bargaining appeared to hinge on the UAW granting the same health care cost concessions to Chrysler as it did to GM and Ford in 2005, and on how much Chrysler would pay into a company-funded, UAW-run trust that would take on its roughly $18 billion worth of retiree health care costs. GM has already agreed to form such a trust.
Also at issue was the union’s desire for job security pledges at U.S. factories and Chrysler’s wish to contract out parts transportation now done by higher-wage union members, according to one of the people briefed on the talks.
The union normally settles with one U.S. automaker and then uses that deal as a pattern for an agreement with the other two. But several industry analysts have said that Chrysler and Ford have different needs and therefore need different contracts.
October 10, 2007 - 12:44 PM on October 10th, 2007
Just more proof that these labor unions are corupt and run by crooks and always forcing its members to vote for the demacrtic canadate in every election just look at the ALF/CIO and TEAMSTERS
October 11, 2007 - 05:19 PM on October 11th, 2007
Being part of a Labor Union, for many people, was the best thing to ever happen to them.
Workers have a voice. And Power.