UAW denies health care talks with Chrysler
The UAW on Wednesday jumped on rumors that it had reopened talks with Chrysler. According to a piece in The Detroit News, UAW spokesman Roger Kerson said there was no meeting over one of the biggest sticking points, health care, as was rumored elsewhere. Although the UAW has reached health care agreements with GM and Ford this year, they broke off talks with Chrysler over this issue in September, likely because Chrysler wasn't in as dire of straights as Ford and GM. Chrysler spokesman Mike Aberlich said they are still communicating with the UAW on this issue but stated "we're not in negotiations."Just prior to halting talks, Chrysler was set to announce a $600 million third quarter loss. Chrysler has since refigured the loss at $1.5 billion. The automaker has about 50,000 active UAW employees and spends about $2.3 billion on health care for them and another 100,000 hourly retirees. That cost rose about 10% from last year's $2.1 billion. Although Chrysler claims it could save about $340 million a year by renegotiating along the same lines as GM and Ford did, the issue is still officially off the table.
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger, who also sits on DaimlerChrysler's supervisory board, upheld his decision in an interview with The Detroit News this week. "People say, 'Well, Chrysler has projected a loss,' " Gettelfinger said. "But this is one quarter, and we're going to work our way through the situation there no different than we did at Ford and General Motors." Even after 12 straight profitable quarters, DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche has criticized the union for its hard-line stance on this issue. "It's a very strange position that we should lose $10 billion before we can have the same as Ford and GM," he said.
[Source: The Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Wanderley Veras 11:35AM (10/29/2006)
Bem, por onde começar meu comentário . . .deixa ver! há! já sei muito bem por onde começar - pelo fim. hi, hi, hi...
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John dealership point of view 7:58PM (10/12/2006)
UAW needs profit sharing
Profit Sharing every quarter on the paycheck. your plant makes a profit, you get a bonus according to how much profit.
Whats the incentive to work harder if you have a contract?
this happens at the point of sale as well.
salesman get better spins they sell a car from the import manufactures, GM and DCX pay no incentive. DCX sometimes does good, but mostly you only get paid when your dealership hits it quota. the can take part of their rebate $ and give the salesman a good bonus to sell a car that is not selling well. Salesman will just lead to the customer to a newer used car, and with all the consolidation of automalls, selling them a different model.
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Steve 8:31AM (10/13/2006)
Boy, and people like to defend the unions and say they are not to blame for the domestic automakers' downfalls.
What the hell?
We're not going to cut you a much needed break on health care like we did for everybody else because right this moment, you are not bleeding money like they were?
Way to solidify you're own demise, fellas. I guess we'll hear them crying about a year from now because they are losing their jobs. Think they'll look back on this situation and feel stupid?
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KT 11:33AM (10/13/2006)
#2...they won't feel stupid. They are stupid.
These yahoos are so determined to keep their wages and benefits that they would rather loose their jobs than help the employer. They would rather strike and cause more harm to the employer than pay their fair share of healthcare expenses.
All they have to do is agree to pay a portion of their healthcare (like everyone else in the country) and they would probably be able to keep their above market wages. It's as easy as that. It would maybe cost them a couple of thousand a year for a family (only a couple hundred per pay period).
Next Fall could bring about the largest industrial strike this country has ever seen if the UAW doesn't take their heads out of the sand.
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Chris from Buffalo 12:26AM (10/14/2006)
True Story: I once called the UAW HQ and spoke with the Vice President of the Union. He told me that Healthcare was a "God Given Right" and asserted the 2% Profit Margin GM makes allows plenty of room for them to excrete more benefits from them. Blah, Blah...
God Given Right? okay, whatever you say.
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