By Doug Cunningham

A UAW retiree is suing in federal court challenging a UAW lawsuit in an effort to better protect GM UAW retiree pension benefits. Mark Beumkel is Henry McKnight's attorney in the suit. Beumkel alleges that the UAW suit was filed in cooperation with GM after a deal had already been reached without retirees' permission to cut health care benefits.

[Beumkel] : "It seeks a court order approving something which we think the law doesn't allow. And that is slashing vested retiree health benefits. GM and the UAW struck a deal to accomplish that, they now want the lawsuit so they can get a rubber stamp of court approval. We don't think that the law allows that. And we've sought to intervene to prevent that and to preserve, as best we can, the hard-fought lifetime health benefits for GM retirees."

Beumkel says this suit by McKnight is an effort to make sure that GM UAW retirees as a class can fight to legally protect their own benefits no matter what agreements are reached between the UAW and GM.