]> http://www.laborradio.org/taxonomy/term/98/0 United Auto Workers en http://www.laborradio.org/node/8809 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>Four thousand casino dealers in Atlantic City who voted a year ago to join the UAW are still without a contract. At least 75 busloads of activists from several states will rally in Atlantic City this Saturday to support the workers. Robert Beck is a dealer at Bally's.</p> <p>[Beck]: "You have dealers making four dollars an hour. How are you going to survive with four dollars an hour when you have to pay four dollars a gallon of gas? So, I think it's time now for us to get respect and to get a fair contract."</p> <p>Paula Cifelli works at Caesar's, she says union solidarity is strong and all the workers want is an improvement in wages and health benefits.</p> UAW Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:02:33 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8799 <p>Some workers at a GM plant in Lordstown, Ohio, received good news this week. The company, which recently announced plans to close four plants, will be adding a new shift on August 4, a month earlier than previously projected. The new shift will provide 1,400 additional jobs at the plant and recently laid off workers will have first priority. The assembly plant currently employs 2,645 hourly workers. </p> UAW Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:22:36 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8766 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>In Detroit today the UAW is meeting with Ford Motor company officials to be briefed on what the company calls the "changing business situation". the unions says Ford's production for 2009 will likely be covered. Ford is in the process of cutting back on truck production and trying to ramp up smaller car production to respond to changes in consumer demand sparked by the skyrocketing gasoline prices.</p> UAW Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:56:35 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8747 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>The United Auto Workers union has decided to endorse Senator Barack Obama for president. In a statement released Tuesday, UAW President, Ron Gettelfinger said that "After a historic primary campaign which activated and mobilized millions of voters, our union is proud to endorse Sen. Barack Obama." Gettelfinger said Obama "has inspired our country with a positive vision for a better America – and with concrete plans to turn that vision into reality."</p> UAW Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:04:27 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8667 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>In another step down the death spiral staircase for American manufacturing, American Axle is slashing its U.S. workforce by more than half. Now that the UAW has ratified a concessionary agreement ending the strike that started February 26th, American Axle says 2,000 U.S. jobs manufacturing jobs are being lost. Some of that production is moving to Mexico. Most of the job cuts are coming from buyouts and early retirement incentives negotiated by the UAW, but there will be some involuntary layoffs, too. The strike had enough power to cripple GM production and it cost American Axle and GM combined about one and a half billion dollars.</p> UAW Thu, 29 May 2008 17:29:01 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8617 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>UAW workers at American Axle have approved a new contract on a 78 – 22 percent vote, ending a nearly three-month old strike. The workers are expected to go back to work next week. </p> <p>The UAW agreed to deep wage cuts and other concessions. Wages were cut by a third and pensions were frozen. The union negotiated lump sum payments of up to $105,000 over three years to workers to help offset the effects of the concessions. Early retirement cash incentives, and lump-sum “buyouts” were also offered to cut the number of workers at American Axle. </p> <p>UAW President Ron Gettlefinger said UAW members had to make some tough decisions.</p> UAW Fri, 23 May 2008 22:33:57 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8582 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>UAW workers in Detroit are angry about the tentative contract deal with American Axle, so much so that a vote on ratifying the agreement in Detroit has been postponed until Thursday. Other plants started voting on it Monday. The proposed agreement to end the nearly three-month old strike would slash wages by a third or more. But thanks to an infusion of more than $200 million from GM, workers will be offered buyouts, early retirement incentives and “buy-downs” spread over three years to help ease the pain of the pay cuts. American Axle has a production plant in Mexico that’s been working during the strike, and the company threatened to move all the production to Mexico if wages weren’t slashed in the U.S.</p> UAW Mon, 19 May 2008 16:26:31 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8569 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>The UAW has reached a tentative agreement with American Axle after an 11 week long strike. The union confirms that the tentative agreement has been reached. </p> <p>The UAW will hold a meeting in Detroit Sunday to explain the agreement to the workers at Detroit’s American Axle plant. Meetings will also be held with workers at American Axle’s plants in New York and in Three Rivers, Michigan.</p> <p>More than 3600 workers went on strike after American Axle demanded deep wage cuts and an end to future retiree pensions and health care benefits.</p> <p>The strike demonstrated worker power by shutting down or curtailing production at dozens of GM factories, costing the automaker at least a billion dollars and causing thousands of layoffs at GM.</p> UAW Fri, 16 May 2008 22:12:54 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8563 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>UAW President Ron Gettlefinger told Detroit’s WWJ radio that with thousands of workers still on the American Axle strike picket lines, the company’s greed knows no bounds.</p> <p>[Gettlefinger]: “I have never witnessed a situation where there was more callous disregard for the workforce than there is here. We have literally made hundreds of changes in this contract and throughout these negotiations. And I mean literally hundreds of changes, all to the company’s advantage. And they continue to push back for more and more. They’re out to crush this membership.”</p> <p>Gettlefinger says the UAW never wanted GM to offer $200 million to help settle the strike, which has stopped or partially reduced production at 29 GM plants. Gettlefinger in fact says that GM offer has made the situtation worse for American Axle</p> UAW Thu, 15 May 2008 17:16:33 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8516 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>Hundreds of workers are expected in Cleveland, North Carolina today at a rally demanding reinstatement of five UAW local bargaining committee members fired by Freightliner. Allen Bradley is one of the workers fired over a year ago after staging a strike against concessions.</p> <p>[Bradley]: “The workers are tired of being ran over. And we're tired of corporate unionism."</p> <p>Freightliner is shutting down it’s operation today. Bradley says he's not sure if it's connected to the rally.</p> UAW Thu, 08 May 2008 16:52:12 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8446 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>GM says it doesn’t want any part in settling the American Axle strike, despite the fact that the strike has cost GM $800 million and the lost production of 100,000 vehicles. The UAW strike was triggered by American Axle’s demand to slash wages in half and end future retiree pensions and health benefits.</p> UAW Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:27:29 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8435 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>The GM layoffs of roughly 3500 workers at four truck and SUV factories in the U.S. and Canada is the latest blow to autoworkers as the U.S. economy slips into recession. Thanks to UAW contracts, the workers will get supplemental income that together with unemployment benefits will equal about 80 percent of their pay. One shift each is being eliminated at each of the four factories – and that will cut production of GM trucks and SUV’s by about 50,000 this year.</p> UAW Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:02:25 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8391 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>American Axle’s corporate annual meeting is underway today as UAW strikers threatened with plant closures continue to walk the picket lines. GM is curtailing production at two more plants because it can’t get parts from American Axle. Roughly 48,000 GM workers have been affected by the strike. American Axle is trying to slash wages in half and abolish future retiree pensions and health care benefits. UAW Striker Chris Workman says this is a fight for good American jobs</p> <p>[Workman]: "We are losing jobs at a fast rate and if we don't stop this country is going to go into a recession - and a continued recession - because the jobs are not going to be here to keep buying the products anymore.</p> UAW Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:13:11 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8393 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>American Axle’s corporate annual meeting is underway today as UAW strikers threatened with plant closures by the company continue to walk the picket lines. GM is curtailing production at two more auto plants because it can’t get parts from American Axle. Roughly 48,000 GM workers have been affected by the strike, that's half their work force. American Axle is trying to slash wages in half and abolish future retiree pensions and health care benefits. UAW striker, Chris Workman says this is a fight for good American jobs.</p> <p>[Workman]: "We are losing jobs at a fast rate and if we don't stop, this country is going to go into a recession, and a continued recession, because the jobs are not going to be here to keep buying the products anymore.</p> UAW Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:13:11 -0700 http://www.laborradio.org/node/8246 <p>By Doug Cunningham</p> <p>The UAW and American Axle will soon be talking again in an effort to end the strike that started February 26th. The company has given the union some of the financial information the UAW says it needs to adequately bargain with the company. The strike was called over unfair labor practices for the company’s refusal to provide such information. American Axle is trying to force down wages and eliminate pensions and healthcare for future retirees. The strike is now threatening GM production of cars because eighty percent of American Axle’s business is supplying GM and the strike has cut off the supply of those parts.</p> UAW Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:33:12 -0700