UAW Members Ratify New Contract with Ford
UAW members at Ford Motor Co. have voted to approve a new four-year agreement with the automaker. In September, UAW members ratified a four-year contract with General Motors. Workers at Chrysler now are voting on a tentative deal reached earlier this month.
The agreement with Ford will add 5,750 new jobs, bringing to 12,000 the number of new jobs when combined with recent announcements from Ford. UAW President Bob King says:
As the nation’s economy remains stalled and uncertain and its employment rate stagnates, we were able to win an agreement with Ford that will bring auto manufacturing jobs back to the United States from China, Mexico and Japan.
The agreement includes $16 billion to produce new and upgraded vehicles and components by 2015, of which, $6.3 billion will be invested directly into retooling and upgrading plants. A complete list of plant investment can be found on the UAW’s website.
UAW, Chrysler Reach Tentative Agreement
The UAW and Chrysler Group LLC reached a tentative four-year agreement this morning that will create more than 2,000 new jobs and invest $4.5 billion to retool and upgrade plants to produce new and upgraded vehicles.
The agreement with Chrysler follows recent settlements with Ford and General Motors. UAW President Bob King says:
This tentative agreement, coupled with the new agreements at General Motors and Ford, brings more than 20,000 new jobs to communities across America. Together with the jobs created in suppliers and other businesses supported by auto manufacturing, a total of 180,000 jobs will be added to the country’s battered economy. Through collective bargaining and working together with the domestic automakers, we have shown that cooperation and collective bargaining work.
UAW, Ford Reach Tentative Agreement that Adds Jobs
A tentative four-year agreement between the UAW and Ford Motor Co. will create new jobs and bring back work from overseas, UAW leaders said in a press conference today in Detroit.
UAW President Bob King says the tentative pact will add 5,750 new jobs, bringing to 12,000 the number of new jobs when combined with recent announcements from Ford.
As the nation’s economy remains stalled and uncertain, and its employment rate stagnates, we were able to win an agreement with Ford that will bring auto manufacturing jobs back to the United States from China, Mexico and Japan.
The agreement, the second reached between the UAW and the domestic automakers, builds on Read the rest of this entry »
The New American Economy: Win the Lottery, Get a Job
Stunning, just stunning. Nearly 17,000 people applied for jobs at a Ford plant in Kentucky, according to USA Today. The applications are now going into a lottery and Ford will determine who gets to proceed to be considered for the 1,800 jobs that pay $15.51 an hour. No doubt not everyone who applied is unemployed, to be sure–but it’s likely a good number don’t have jobs.
So is this what it’s come to for America’s unemployed workers–they need to win a lottery to get work to support themselves and their families?
Derek Thompson nails it on the head in the Atlantic:
With every month’s employment survey, economists and journalists have to find new ways to write the headline “Job Report Surprises and Disappoints.” It’s getting difficult because the news is so dependably awful and the Thesaurus is only so thick. But it’s time to at least drop the word “surprises” and understand that the private sector does not work for workers the way it used to.
Two years after the start of the recession, there still are 4.7 workers for every ONE job available. Meanwhile, corporations sit on trillions of dollars. Rather than putting some of that Read the rest of this entry »
UAW Chevy Wins Big at Brickyard, Nonunion Toyota Eats Exhaust
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The fact that a UAW-made engine powered Jamie McMurray’s Chevy Impala to victory at the Brickyard 400 didn’t grab headlines or make the TV news. But it caused this fan in the stands to whoop it up.
I’m a 60-year-old union card-carrying Chevy man.
The UAW has been part of NASCAR racing at the storied Indianapolis Motor Speedway and other tracks for as long as this motorhead can remember.
Chevy, Ford, Dodge and Toyota field specially made race cars in NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup Series. Stateside, the UAW represents workers at Chevy, Ford and Dodge factories. Toyota’s American plants are nonunion.
So in my book, any union member rooting for a Toyota to win a NASCAR race (or owning a Toyota) would be like a chicken cheering for Col. Sanders.
UAW: U.S. Cars on the Road to Success
Higher profits and new fuel-efficient models have put American-made cars back on the road again—with the help of taxpayers and the workers who have worked closely with the Big Three automakers to ensure their success.
In July, Ford posted a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit of $2.6 billion—some $1 billion more than analysts predicted—with promises of more earnings in 2011. Chrysler, which cut its net loss to $197 million from January through March, expects to announce its second-quarter earnings in mid-August. General Motor’s (GM’s) U.S. sales for June rose 11 percent from the year-ago period and the company is again building popular cars.
UAW Members at Ford Reach Agreement on Retiree Health, and More Bargaining News
UAW members at Ford reach agreement on retiree health care and more updates here from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 900 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
SETTLEMENTS
UAW, Ford: The UAW reached an agreement with Ford on modifications to its Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA), which is a retiree health care trust fund. The union and Ford previously announced a tentative agreement to modify other aspects of its 2007 labor contract, but Ford had said all agreements were contingent on reaching an agreement to the VEBA.
AFSCME, Ohio: Some 35,000 Ohio state workers, who are represented by the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA-AFSCME), reached a tentative agreement in which workers will maintain their salaries but take 10 days of unpaid leave annually.
UAW Reaches Agreement with Big Three
The UAW has reached a tentative agreement with Chrysler, Ford and General Motors (GM) on changes to its 2007 contracts with the automakers. The agreement came hours before Chrysler and GM had to file restructuring plans as part of last year’s federal loan agreement. Discussions continue over the retiree health care plans at all three automakers.
Says UAW President Ron Gettelfinger:
The changes will help these companies face the extraordinarily difficult economic climate in which they operate. Discussions are continuing regarding the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Associations (VEBAs) at all three companies.
UAW Launches Ad to Showcase Need for Bridge Loan to Auto Industry
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Congress and President Bush quickly signed off on a $700 billion, nearly no-strings-attached bailout to Wall Street and the nation’s financial industry. Now, says the UAW in a new TV commercial, it’s time to focus on Main Street. UAW President Ron Gettelfinger puts it this way:
Main Street deserves help just as much as the bankers on Wall Street. It is time for Congress to do its job to save millions of American jobs and prevent our nation from falling deeper in recession.
The ad, which began airing this week in the Washington, D.C., area, features UAW members urging Congress to approve a bridge loan to allow U.S. automakers to keep their assembly lines rolling. They tell viewers:
We don’t work on Wall Street…or for big insurance companies. We build quality cars and trucks. But we’ve been hit by the same financial crisis.
If we go out of business…so will thousands of other businesses….If we lose our jobs…so will millions of others….
