UAW bargainers open talks with GM, Ford
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| Local 1618 retiree Lois Schultz’s sign lets all know how she feels during a rally outside the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources on Monday, July 23, prior to the opening of contract talks with GM. |
The day began with a spirited rally by five busloads of UAW active and retired members at the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources (CHR) in Detroit, and finished with a spirited defense of our union’s fight for middle-class jobs during a news conference at Ford Motor Co. World Headquarters in Dearborn.
In between, UAW bargaining teams, led by UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and Vice President Cal Rapson at GM and Vice President Bob King at Ford kicked off 2007 auto negotiations.
Chants of “We are the union, the mighty, mighty union” echoed in front of the plaza at the UAW-GM CHR, on Detroit’s riverfront. The center serves as the headquarters for jointly negotiated programs in health and safety, productivity, quality and other areas, and will be the site if this year’s bargaining between the UAW and GM.
“Retirees gave their all, now it’s time to share,” read a hand-lettered sign, carried by UAW GM retiree Lois Schultz of Local 1618. Schultz was one of hundreds of members from UAW Region 1C local unions in Flint and Lansing who rallied in support of the UAW bargaining team. “Pensions and health care are what’s most important to us,” said Schultz. “We have to protect these, along with Social Security and Medicare.”
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| UAW President Ron Gettelfinger, right, and Vice President Cal Rapson, who directs the union’s General Motors’ Department, show solidarity with UAW retirees in a rally outside the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources prior to the opening of 2007 auto bargaining with GM. |
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| UAW Vice President Bob King, who directs the union’s Ford Department, shakes hands with Ford CEO Alan Mulally at the opening of bargaining. |
Following the rally, there were ceremonial handshakes inside the CHR between Gettelfinger, GM Chairman Rick Wagoner, UAW Vice President Rapson, and GM Vice President for Labor Relations Diana Tremblay.
Gettelfinger and Wagoner made opening remarks, as did Rapson and GM Vice President for Manufacturing Troy Clarke. Both sides also introduced their respective negotiating teams.
At a news conference following the opening of talks with GM, Gettelfinger -- joined by Rapson and GM National Negotiating Committee Chair Bill King of UAW Local 659 and the rest of the UAW GM bargaining committee -- emphasized the union’s commitment to the needs of retired workers.
“We were very pleased that our retirees came out,” Gettelfinger said. “They’re the ones that have made a lot of sacrifices, both for the corporation and for our union over the years, and our union is not one to walk away from retirees.
“They just simply reminded us that they’re caught up in the same things we are caught up in, and they’re on a fixed income, whether it’s the price of gas or the price of milk,” he added. “Everything that impacts them impacts us. They are first and foremost in our minds as we move forward into these negotiations.”
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| The UAW negotiating team at GM fielded questions from national and international media on the opening day of bargaining. |
After wrapping up events at GM, UAW bargainers headed to Ford headquarters where Gettelfinger and UAW Vice President King opened 2007 bargaining with Ford Chairman Bill Ford, CEO Alan Mulally, Vice President for Labor Affairs Marty Mulloy, and Group Vice President for Human Resources and Labor Affairs Joe Laymon.
King introduced two UAW bargaining teams to Ford executives: one representing hourly workers, and another for the unionized salaried workers at Ford. Opening remarks by UAW leadership emphasized the union’s commitment to safety, quality and productivity.
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| UAW President Ron Gettelfinger shakes hands with GM Chairman Rick Wagoner as UAW Vice President Cal Rapson and other negotiators for both sides look on. |
During a news conference following opening ceremonies at Ford, Gettelfinger was joined by Vice President King and UAW Ford National Negotiating Committee co-chairs Joel Goddard of Local 898 and Mike Abell of Local 862, as well as the rest of the hourly and salaried bargaining committees.
Gettelfinger told the assembled news media that the union’s fight to keep good paying jobs in America would take place both at the bargaining table and in the political arena.
“It’s painful any time a facility is closed down, and job security will be one of the issues that’s very important to our membership,” he said.
“Our country doesn’t have an industrial policy, and we need to start speaking up about that. Other countries don’t have this problem -- they value the auto industry, and we’re watching it go away. We’re fighting for the middle class. We’re fighting for good jobs for America. It’s not just about us -- these negotiations are about everybody.”
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| The UAW Ford National Negotiating Committee gets ready to get down to the nuts and bolts of bargaining a contract that protects active and retired Ford workers while at the same time helping the company get back on solid footing. |
