Orion Worker Files NRLB Complaint Against UAW Over Two-Tier Wage Deal

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

The Freep reports

A laid-off worker at General Motor’s Orion Assembly plant has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in Detroit against the UAW for negotiating a deal to employ 40% of the workers at a lower wage rate.

Nick Waun, 31, of Lapeer said the UAW negotiated the agreement without giving workers a chance to consider it.

“The main thrust of this is to try to get a vote on the agreement, because they denied us a vote,” Waun said.

You don’t say? Didn’t see that one coming. No sir. But will the NLRB be sympathetic to the UAW’s well-reasoned position that some union brothers are more equal than others? Or is the union’s nominal ownership (by way of its VEBA benefits trust) of some 60 percent of GM’s equity possibly, just possibly, incompatible with the duties of a union? It’s a head-scratcher all right.

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

More by Edward Niedermeyer

Comments
Join the conversation
7 of 30 comments
  • Mikey Mikey on Oct 27, 2010

    @ Edward Niedermeyer The UAW didn't want this agreement. The rank and file didn't want it either,or the locals for that matter. Yes, two tiered wages were part, and parcel of the bailout. The UAW was told, in no uncertain terms by GM and the US goverment "eat two tiered,or no bail out" the UAW accepted the lesser of two evils. Yeah,,it sucks, Ask yourself this. Would the UAW and the membership been better off with a real Chapter 11? If they had put it to the rank and file,for sure it would have been voted down. Just look at the Indy stamping plant. I attended the last ratification meeting when the CAW was told by the Canadian and provincial govts. No concessions, no money from the goverment. The American government was going to bail out an American company to protect American jobs. GM made it very clear." No Canadian money for a bail out"?.."we will liquify Canadian operations" A guy steps up to the mic and yell out "THIER BLUFFING" Who TF wants to call that bluff? 35% wanted to call thier bluff. It passed by only 65%. And that boys, and girls is the reson why the UAW didn't take "two tiered" to the rank an file.

    • Pgcooldad Pgcooldad on Oct 27, 2010

      Yup, that's pretty much what I had figured happened for GM and Chrysler.

  • Ihatetrees Ihatetrees on Oct 27, 2010

    I assume the 40% employed at the lower wage rate is a fixed percentage? (So the lower rate workers are always a voting minority). In other words, lower rate senior workers "graduate" to a higher rate if new people are hired (at the lower rate) or high rate workers leave / retire. Or, in other words, GM management wasn't dumb enough to allow low rate workers to (eventually) become a majority.

  • Oboylepr Oboylepr on Oct 27, 2010

    So Mikey, what happens if and when the Canadian Government gets it's bailout money back? Will GM pull the plug anyway?

  • PlentyofCars PlentyofCars on Oct 27, 2010

    They did not need two tiers. Pay everyone the same, just less. It costs every car company about the same to make a car, before including labor costs. When the American companies all lose money while the rest make money, finding the problem is not difficult.

    • Mikey Mikey on Oct 28, 2010

      Last time I looked Ford was still UAW/CAW.....Right, and they just turned the biggest quarter profit in thier history. In Germany the unions are far more powerfull than the UAW/CAW. VW seems to turn a profit. The UAW struggled to get the membership to agree with two tiered. I ask you "Sugarbrie...." How do you suppose a 25% cut across the board would have been recieved?

Next