General Motors Asks Judge to Dismiss UAW Case

General Motors’ legal team has requested that the lawsuit filed by the United Automobile Workers, which claims that its decision to idle factories is in violation of an existing union agreement, be dismissed by a federal judge. The UAW alleges that GM sidestepped the collective bargaining agreement established in 2015 by closing plants prematurely. But the automaker has been careful to say that the facilities are being “unallocated,” claiming the union failed to adhere to the grievance arbitration procedure outlined in its contract — which forbids UAW from going to court until all other avenues have been exhausted.

The request came with a bundle of other motions, filed on March 21st, and included a request to transfer the case from Youngstown, Ohio (where the contentious Lordstown Assembly is located) to the eastern district of Michigan.

The motion claims the move would be for the “convenience of the parties, witnesses, and in the interest of justice.” Firstly, both GM and the UAW are headquartered there. But General Motors is also concerned it might not get a fair shake so close to Lordstown. “The mere presence of one of these facilities in the judicial district (Northern District of Ohio) is insufficient for venue to properly lie here,” the motion states.

The UAW sued GM in February over a breach the contract claim. It was attempting to stop the company from shuttering its assembly plant in Lordstown — along with transmission plants in White Marsh, Maryland, and Warren, Michigan.

According to The Detroit News, the GM motion says two grievances over plant idling are technically still pending. Obviously, the UAW doesn’t see things in the same manner.

[Image: General Motors]