[Cortana]

lol, you guys got this strike all long. If anything the UAW helped GM save money while their supplier was down. Let me distill the sequence of events down for you:

Late Summer 2007
The union holds strike authorization vote prior to national and local contract negotiations adn the membership votes yes. This is a standard tactic, no one wants to strike, but walking up to the bargaining table with a no-vote is like going to a gunfight without ammo.

Fall 2007-April 2008:
Local bargaining is ongoing.

Early April:
Union enters 5 before 5 letter, effectively giving management a 5 day ultimatum to settle.

2 days before deadline:
Carpet supplier Alliance Interiors goes on strike, crippling GM-LDT production. Alliance attempts to continue production utilizing management on the floor and non-union truck drivers, but runs into quality problems and can only run at 40-50% capacity. Meanwhile, GM-LDT is obligated to continue paying their workers for 8 hours despite only being able to build cars for 4 hours a day.


Strike deadline:
GM calls the UAW's bluff, seizes on the strike as a way to cut costs while Alliance management builds up their parts inventory and sends the union packing.


My contacts in the union have said that GM didn't seem to want to settle and were basically dragging their feet. With Alliance now settled, I suspect GM will settle within days and production will resume. They will need to refill their elpo/phosphate systems and replace their clearcoat in paint before they can begin running, so it may not be until sometime next week.