General Motors workers ratify Canadian union agreement

[Infiniti Z350]

By Dee-Ann Durbin / AP Auto Writer

General Motors Corp. auto workers voted Sunday to ratify a new contract that will cut their ranks by 1,000 over the next three years, the Canadian Auto Workers and GM said.

GM's 17,000 CAW members voted on the agreement at meetings Saturday and Sunday. Seventy-eight percent of production workers voted in favor of the contract, while 83 percent of skilled trade workers voted for it, the CAW said.

GM was the last of the Big Three U.S. automakers to negotiate a new three-year contract with the CAW. The two sides came to a tentative agreement last week, shortly before a strike deadline. CAW members from Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG ratified their contracts last month.

CAW president Buzz Hargrove said the strong support from auto workers at all three companies demonstrates that the union negotiated agreements that are fair and equitable, especially considering the tough bargaining environment.

More: http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosins...uto-335297.htm

[tgagneguam]

I'm left to wonder what the 22% of production workers and 17% of skilled trade workers who didn't vote in favor of the contract could have possibly found wrong with it.

[kool_zx3]

Originally Posted by tgagneguam

I'm left to wonder what the 22% of production workers and 17% of skilled trade workers who didn't vote in favor of the contract could have possibly found wrong with it.

The ultra greedy ones that went everything but in turn have no job in 4 years

[sags]

The old saying "the devil is in the details" would be applicable here. Although there is optimism that senior workers will retire and allow those workers facing loss of their jobs to remain employed, every plant has a different scenario and early retirement package. They vary from $25,000 in some instances to $95,000 in others depending on the reason for layoffs. During the last 3 years there were $60,000 early retirement packages available but many were left unused. Many 30 and out workers are still in their late 40's and early 50's and are not ready to retire and live on a lower income yet (mortgages, kids in university etc). Also in some plants, under the lean manufacturing system, the company owns your butt. Put your hand up to go the bathroom, job rotation to alleviate chronic injury, mandatory overtime are all local issues that may have been swept off the table during negotiations. Sometimes it isn't all about the money but being able to survive long enough to collect your pension without being a cripple. It's too bad that anyone who thinks it is easy money to work on an assembly line couldn't be given the opportunity for a month or so. Many try and decide that it isn't worth the money. In view of the times though, I think most CAW members would agree that Buzz Hargrove (CAW) and Al Green (GM) fashioned a remarkably insightful contract that allows the workers to make some gains within a context the company can afford. Remember that GM Canada made 550 million in profit so GM's problems are in the US. Both sides recognized this and came up with a fair solution to reward GM's most profitable, most efficient, least expensive and best quality workers.