Chrysler UAW Workers Swallow A Very Hard Pill

Despite Chrysler UAW members passing 2007 agreement modifications by huge margins yesterday (upwards of 80%), according to this alteration, it looks like there was at least one hard pill the union membership had to swallow.

Unemployed Detroit Auto Workers To Retrain For Burgeoning Ladies Hat Industry

Unemployed Detroit auto workers now have a new workforce development opportunity in the booming field of ladies hat-making. Customers include Aretha Franklin, Michelle Obama and of course, Queen Elizabeth. [NYT, Photo Credit: Fabrizio Costantini]

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero Tears Into Fox News Over Bailout Double Standards

Virgil "Virg" Bernero is the mayor of Lansing, Michigan and he's a little hot under the collar from the bad wrap that the UAW workers are receiving and lays it all out for Fox News. More »

Ford Slammed With 4th Quarter Net Loss Of $5.9 Billion

Despite a message focused on being the only U.S. automaker operating without federal loans, Ford burned through $5.9 billion in cash during the final three months of 2008 as losses mounted. More »

UAW Losing Millions On Michigan Golf Course Retreat

While congress made a huge stink about auto execs and their private jets, they didn’t do their research on the UAW’s $6.4 million golf course retreat in Michigan.

UAW: Senate GOP Voted Against Bailout To Strike "Blow Against Organized Labor"

At a press conference today, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger read an e-mail indicating Senate GOP members played political games, voting against the auto bailout bill as an attack against organized labor.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger Flying To DC, Hates American Taxpayers?

Jeff Gilbert with WWJ 950 AM had a chance to talk to UAW President Ron Gettelfinger just minutes ago after a meeting with UAW local heads on reexamination of their contracts (including nixing of the Jobs Bank, as we'd predicted) with the not-so-Big Three. Gilbert asked him what he'd be doing next. His response? He's heading to the airport tomorrow morning. That's right, while the CEOs of each of the U.S. automakers are driving to tomorrow's Congressional hearing, Ron'll be flying the friendly skies to Washington, DC. Apparently either the UAW hates the American taxpayer or Ron's just not so much into symbolic gestures given he doesn't have a corporate jet.

UAW In Talks To Kill Jobs Bank?

We just received a hot-off-the-wires report from the WSJ that the UAW is currently in talks with some of the not-so-Big Three to kill the "Jobs Bank" program. The program, a bane of contention by everyone but the UAW and it's membership since the inception of unionized labor at automakers, basically pays workers when they're not working. Good for the membership? Sure. Good for the automakers? Not so much. Good for everyone's image? Not in the least.

UAW, Obama Riding McCain On Owning Foreign Cars Like Rest Of Country

Sen. John McCain took heat yesterday from UAW president Ron Gettelfinger for three of his thirteen vehicles being foreign-made. Now McCain's taking heat from the Obama campaign in a new attack ad so heavily protectionism-flavored, it's a good thing the ad's just running in the Great Lakes state. Yes, Michigan, a land that unlike the rest of the nation, remains a magical place where American cars still outsell foreign cars. More »

GM Cracking Down On Employee Health Care Abuses

The Wall Street Journal today reports that General Motors is beginning a comprehensive health care plan audit in an effort to trim waste and fraud among hourly employees. The company spends nearly $5 billion per year on health care, a number that experts say could be cut by as much as 5% simply by removing ineligible dependents from employee plans. Like whom? Divorced spouses, girlfriends and grown children, for example. Employees have until August 20 to voluntarily remove ineligible dependents, so heads-up guys: Just 'cause they live in your trailer doesn't mean they can get their Lamasil on the General's tab. [WSJ, Sub. Req.; Photo Credit: Cleveland Free Clinic]

Out With The Old, In With The Cheap: 18,657 GM Employees Take Buyouts

General Motors reported Thursday that 18,657 U.S. hourly workers — almost a quarter of its blue-collar employees — have taken buyout offers originally offered in February. By clearing out more expensive experienced workers, GM can fill the vacancies with less-expensive, lower-paid employees thanks to a deal negotiated with the UAW last fall. Because nothing will help maintain GM's new-found, hard-earned vehicle quality like paying all their experienced line workers to piss off so they can teach Burger King rejects to spot-weld for $8 an hour. More »

GM, UAW Agree On Comprehensive Special Attrition Program, We Wonder What Took Them So Long

The cuts just keep on coming as the General and the UAW have just reached an agreement on a "comprehensive" special attrition program to be offered to each and every one of GM's 74,000 UAW workers. Which is funny as we thought the last one was supposed to be "comprehensive." Maybe the need for such a buyout becomes more clear when you view it in the light of the massive $38.7 billion charge for how it calculated certain tax assets this quarter. Well, whatever. What we do know is this "comprehensive" program will involve several pension and buyout incentives — all spelled out below the jump in the press release. More »

GM Set to Shed More Jobs in Buyouts

Now that the parties and fun of the Detroit Auto Show are over, GM has decided to get back to business. If you haven't heard by now, GM is planning on offering buyouts to an additional 46,000 hourly workers under the terms of the newly negotiated UAW contract. When successfully implemented, this move to push out high wage members in favor of a lower wage, younger workforce will save a planned $5 billion annually by 2010. Apparently that means they've completed their turn around plan as well, so we're assuming the sales figures to be released Wednesday confirming Toyota has taken GM's global sales leader status away won't be that big a deal. [via Financial Times]

UAW Approves Labor Deal With Ford, Still Stuck Watching Reruns of The Office

Ford announced today that its approximately 54,000 UAW-reprsented employees in the US have accepted the four-year national labor agreement that was tentatively approved on November 3rd. Alan Mullaly said "This agreement is proof that by working together with our UAW partners, it is possible to find solutions that collectively benefit our employees, retirees and the company... specifically the ones we haven't already bought out." This will, unfortunately, have no impact whatsoever on the Hollywood Strike. I hope you like Dancing With The Stars. Press release after the jump. More »

GM To Give Out Perfect Attendance Award, New Car

Proving that the medicine goes down better with a spoonful of sugar, GM announced today that a year of perfect attendance gets your average factory worker into a drawing for $15,000 towards the purchase of a new GM product. That's the sugar. The medicine is that starting January 1, those who are absent are going to need a prescription slip or test results from the doctor or else they'll face a verbal warning or, if it happens too often, a pink slip. So when daddy or mommy goes to work with appendicitis, remember that their pain is buying you that new Aveo. [Market Watch]

Honda Element SC Scores First Casualty In TV Writer Strike

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Ford And UAW Reach Tentative Agreement

With all the excitment of a new Ford Focus (sans Sync, of course), it looks like the Ford-UAW contract negotiations have come and gone. The two organizations have announced they have reached a tentative agreement, all without even a strike deadline to speed things along. Details of the contract haven't been released yet and the agreement still must be ratified by the UAW membership. Ford press release after the jump. More »

Chrysler To Cut 12,000 Jobs

So much for those UAW negotiations. Chrysler is cutting 12,000 jobs. And while ChryCerebus is dropping the PT Convertible, Magnum, Crossfire and Pacifica, for some bizarre reason they are pushing ahead with hybrid Durangos and Aspens. Oh boy. [msnbc.com]

Gettelfinger Heads To Ford Motor For Labor Talks

Labor talks between the UAW and Ford are ramping up as UAW President Ron Gettelfinger arrived at Ford headquarters this morning to participate in the negotiations. Chrysler and GM have already settled their contracts for the next four years, but both automakers had to deal with brief strikes while negotiations were finalized. A UAW strike deadline for Ford is expected soon, but it's likely that an agreement will be reached before a strike becomes necessary. Ford is expected to seek more concessions than GM or Chrysler received, as the company lost $12.6 billion last year. Both Ford and the UAW say they hope they can conclude negotiations this week. [The Detroit News]

Chrysler Workers Ratify UAW Contract

UAW workers have voted to accept their four-year contract with Chrysler, but the ratification faced some serious opposition with only 56 percent of production workers and 51 percent of skilled trades workers approving the contract. From what we're told, many UAW members weren't happy about the new two-tier wage system that pays some manufacturing workers as little as $14 per hour and the lack of product commitment guarantees present in the GM contract. Still, they got it done. Got to give Chrysler that, right? Next up's Ford — let's see how that one goes. Full release from Chrysler after the jump. More »

Life Is Peachy for Ford and UAW

Chrysler and GM got strike deadlines from the UAW, but Ford is getting puppies, sunshine and kisses...or something like that. Word from both FoMoCo and the UAW is that contract negotiations are moving forward with a mutual understanding that has undercut any tension between the two organizations. At the 2008 Ford Focus launch yesterday, the happy-family atmosphere was more than just words. Mulally gave out a hug to the UAW Local president while UAW Vice President Bob King wrapped his around the shoulder of Joe Hinrichs, a lead negotiator for Ford. The Dearborn automaker will be looking for a better package than GM and Chrysler received to help its struggling North American operations. [The Detroit News]

Official Car Pundit Drinking Game: "Lamest Strike Ever" Is Totally The New "Hollywood Strike"

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