UAW Strike Threats Against GM Continue, Spread

Frank Williams
by Frank Williams

It looks like GM's labor pains are just starting. The Detroit News reports that strike threats are coming in from sites around the country. While The General is busy dealing with a strike at their Delta Township, MI plant, they also have to defuse threatened walkouts at plants in Parma, OH; Mansfield, OH; Grand Rapids, MI; Kansas City, KS; Flint MI and Arlington, TX. And that's on top of dealing with parts shortages caused by strikes at suppliers American Axle and Alliance Interiors. Even though UAW prez Ron Gettelfinger says he supports the strike actions, he seems to have forgotten the fact that the actions are a backlash caused by the contracts his minions acquiesced to negotiated last September (and strong-armed the members into ratifying). At the time we wondered how workers could agree to the contracts; it seems that they've "woken up" to the reality. Once the Locals settle their differences with GM, you have to wonder if they'll have the same issues with the Ford and Chrysler, and if they'll go after the UAW's leadership for putting them in this situation in the first place.

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  • Rday Rday on Apr 22, 2008

    Det News is reporting that Parma rejected the new contract and will going out on strike too. SOunds like a conspiracy by the UAW to me. GM probably deserves having the UAW as their union. They both deserve each other IMO.

  • 50merc 50merc on Apr 22, 2008

    Like two scorpions in a bottle. Or a nasty divorce case. But I have to admit, if I was getting gypped on the coffee and ice, I'd want to walk out too.

  • Powerglide Powerglide on Apr 22, 2008

    Mj0lnir : Appreciate your perspective. As for national pain, I'd say we're ALL sailing into a @#*&storm. A decisive time, like the early 1930s, and for many of the same reasons. But many times America has reinvented itself out of danger, dropping dangerous ideas, practices along the way, so there's a substantial basis for hope.

  • Geeber Geeber on Apr 23, 2008

    umterp85: Ever since Henry Ford II took over the company in the 1940s, Ford has typically had the best relations with the UAW among the domestics. This continues today. Note that even before last fall's contract negotiations, Ford was having much more success in persuading UAW locals to accept competitive operating agreements in individual plants than GM was. Also note that Ford leaders are much less likely to blame the company's woes on uncompetitive wages and benefits for blue-collar workers, as compared to GM management.

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