Reuters reported
Monday that Delphi Corp. has given the UAW a new proposal for wage and benefits cuts, in a last gasp attempt to come to
an agreement before its March 31st deadline. If the deadline passes without an agreement, Delphi has said that it will
ask the bankruptcy court to terminate its current labor contracts – which could well lead to the outcome feared by GM,
a UAW strike.
A Detroit Newsarticle suggests that
the new proposal is much more union-friendly than previous versions, featuring a gradual reduction in wages and
benefits following an initial wage cut to about $22 per hour (from the current average of $27). The paper also reports
that a parallel agreement with GM is in the works that will give Delphi some assistance on the wage front.