UAW opens talks at Chrysler

Ford, GM meetings set for Monday

The UAW bargaining team at Chrysler, led by President Ron Gettelfinger and Vice President General Holiefield, opened 2007 contract talks today at Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and Chrysler President and CEO Tom LaSorda, center, shake hands to begin 2007 contract talks, joined by UAW Vice President General Holiefield, left, and Chrysler Senior Vice President for Employee Relations John Franciosi.

Gettelfinger and Holiefield kicked off the talks by stressing the commitment of UAW members to safety, quality and future job security for Chrysler workers and their families. Chrysler President and CEO Tom LaSorda and Senior Vice President for Employee Relations John Franciosi made opening remarks on behalf of the company, and both sides introduced their respective bargaining teams.

Following a handshake between top bargainers for the union and the company, Gettelfinger and Holiefield held a news conference to answer questions from local, national and international media. The union leaders were joined by UAW Chrysler National Negotiation Committee Chair Bill Parker and the rest of the ten-member committee, which represents more than 100,000 active and retired UAW Chrysler workers at dozens of bargaining units throughout the United States.

“We’re going into these negotiations as we do every set of negotiations, which is to look out for the best interests of our active and retired membership,” said Gettelfinger.

In addition, he pointed out, “There are a lot of people who benefit from what we do whether they’re union members or not.

“In this round of negotiations, job security is very important to us, and the American automobile industry is very important to this country.  So when we fight to preserve jobs, it helps our nation as a whole.”

“We’re also fighting for the families within our communities,” said Holiefield, who directs the union’s Chrysler Department.  “This same fight will also transcend beyond borders.”

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger, seated center, answers questions at a press conference following the opening of 2007 contract talks at Chrysler, joined by UAW Vice President General Holiefield, seated left, National Negotiating Committee Chair Bill Parker, Local 1700, seated right, and members of the UAW Chrysler national negotiating committee.

Union bargainers -- including UAW Vice President Cal Rapson at GM and UAW Vice President Bob King at Ford -- will open additional talks with automakers on Monday, July 20.

At today’s news conference, Gettelfinger said Chrysler, Ford and GM will all remain strong and viable companies, and pointed out that labor relations are just one of many issues facing the domestic auto industry.  “There are other things that can be done at these companies other than cut costs as it pertains to the workforce,” he said.  “We’ve been working with the companies to get them where they need to be.”

Current contracts with all three automakers, which cover more than 720,000 active and retired members and surviving spouses, will expire at midnight on Sept. 14. UAW proposals for a new contract, Gettelfinger said, will reflect the union’s democratic decision-making process.

“The demands that we present to the company originate at the local union level,” he said. “They went through the various sub-councils into the national councils.” The union’s overall bargaining program at individual employers, he explained, was determined by UAW members at the union’s Special Convention on Collective Bargaining, which took place this past March in Detroit.