UAW Vice President Nate Gooden, far left, and President Ron Gettelfinger, left, shake hands with Chrysler Group President Dieter Zetsche, right and Chief Operating Officer Wolfgang Bernhard, far right on opening day of national negotiations at DaimlerChrysler, July 16.

Gettelfinger and Gooden talk to reporters following the opening of auto talks at DaimlerChrysler.

Retirees rally at GM talks: Retired UAW members from Flint, Mich., stand up for American jobs as the UAW opens negotiations with GM on July 17.

Gettelfinger and UAW Vice President Dick Shoemaker march with UAW-GM retirees prior to the opening of talks at General Motors. At left is UAW Local 599 Retiree Chapter Chair Ron Perkins.

Opening national negotiations at General Motors. From left: GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner, GM Group Vice President for Manufacturing and Labor Relations Troy Clarke, UAW Vice President Dick Shoemaker and UAW President Ron Gettelfinger.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and Ford Motor Company Vice President for Labor Affairs Dennis Cirbes opened bargaining on July 18 for a national contract covering Ford hourly and salary workers.

UAW Vice President Gerald Bantom shakes hands with Visteon Senior Vice President for Corporate Relations Robert Marcin as the UAW opens contract talks with Ford and Visteon on July 18.

Opening contract negotiations at Delphi, July 18. From left: Delphi CEO and President J.T. Battenberg, Delphi Vice President for Human Resource Management Kevin Butler, UAW Vice President Dick Shoemaker and UAW President Ron Gettelfinger.