According to the Wall Street Journal, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger's hopes for efficiently achieving new national contracts at Ford and "The New Chrysler" could hit trouble. Union negotiators representing workers at Chrysler have signaled reluctance to tacitly approve an agreement that mirrors the tentative deal forged with GM last week, according to people in the know on negotiations. At the same time, management officials at Ford and Chrysler have their own issues with such an agreement, said people familiar with those talks. The problems don't necessarily...

...imperil the prospects of reaching similar deals to the one reached last week with GM, but it shows that for Mr. Gettelfinger, sticking to the union's long-held tradition of having a deal with one set the pattern for the other two could be a difficult balancing act given the various states of restructuring among Detroit's auto makers. Neither Ford nor Chrysler is prepared to match GM's offer of such a specific product road map. At Ford, giving such detail may be impossible because it hasn't necessarily firmed its product plans that far into the future, a person familiar with its situation said. (Hat tip to Kevin!) [via WSJ]