GM, UAW Negotiating More Buyouts

[mgescuro]

GM, UAW Negotiating More Buyouts


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...1S07.DTL&tsp=1

General Motors Corp. is close to an agreement with the United Auto Workers on another round of buyout and early retirement offers to cut the number of workers in jobs banks and clear openings for workers hired at lower-tier wages, a top company official said Sunday.

Troy Clarke, GM's North American president, told reporters at the North American International Auto Show that an announcement could come within a week.

"We are negotiating in some cases plant-by-plant, but certainly group-by-group or issue-by-issue, how to roll out a special attrition program," Clark said. "We think that we'll have that done very soon."

Clarke said he couldn't reveal specifics of the plan because negotiations continue.
The company already has announced plans to offer buyouts and early retirement packages to 5,200 UAW hourly workers at service and parts and operations facilities across the country.

The offers also will be available to hourly employees at GM's Pittsburgh metal stamping plant and Massena, N.Y., casting plant, and to all hourly employees currently assigned to jobs banks in Oklahoma City, Linden, N.J., and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. In jobs banks, workers get most of their pay even though they have been laid off.

Once they get through the jobs bank employees, buyouts will be offered in locations where GM wants to pay the lower-tier wages.

GM wants up to 16,000 hourly UAW workers to leave the company. Many would be replaced by workers at the lower-tier wage scale approved under a landmark four-year contract reached with the union last year.

Such new hires would be mainly in non-manufacturing jobs and would receive reduced health care and pension benefits.

GM also anticipates replacing many higher-paid workers with entry-level employees who will make less.

Current UAW employees earn about $28 an hour, while entry-level wages begin at about $14-$15 an hour.

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[FenwickHockey65]

Oh God. Well, at least my dad got out in time.

[sprchev1]

Shows that GM is not satisfied with how things are going despite some recent good press. More things need to be "fixed" and they are serious about doing it. Good for GM, keep the pedal to the metal!

[usa1]

Think how a senior UAW guy must feel. Bottom line from GM: "We want you and your high price pay to go so we can bring in some new young guy that makes a fraction of what you did."

The writing is on the wall, the "Walmart"ing of the UAW is underway at full speed.

Lesson everyone should take away from this: Never stop learning and adding skills to your resume.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by usa1

Think how a senior UAW guy must feel. Bottom line from GM: "We want you and your high price pay to go so we can bring in some new young guy that makes a fraction of what you did."

The writing is on the wall, the "Walmart"ing of the UAW is underway at full speed.

Lesson everyone should take away from this: Never stop learning and adding skills to your resume.

Haha. Actually, my dad had 30 years at GM, and when they told him they were going to give him $35,000, 6 months pay without working, and random other heath/dental benefits to retire, all he said was, "Where do I sign?"

[logansowner]

Originally Posted by usa1

Think how a senior UAW guy must feel. Bottom line from GM: "We want you and your high price pay to go so we can bring in some new young guy that makes a fraction of what you did."

The writing is on the wall, the "Walmart"ing of the UAW is underway at full speed.

Lesson everyone should take away from this: Never stop learning and adding skills to your resume.

Then maybe they shouldn't price themselves out of the market. You've got Toyota, a much more successful company paying far less than GM. A pay cut that still leaves them making more than a Toyota worker... boo hoo.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by logansowner

Then maybe they shouldn't price themselves out of the market. You've got Toyota, a much more successful company paying far less than GM. A pay cut that still leaves them making more than a Toyota worker... boo hoo.

Whoa now. My dad didn't choose to be paid $28/hour. He and many of his co-workers just went along with whatever the UAW negotiated for them. So no, he didn't "price himself out of the market."

[redfox]

GM needs to do away with the jobs banks completly and for good. Why pay workers for doing nothing.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by redfox

GM needs to do away with the jobs banks completly and for good. Why pay workers for doing nothing.

Why, where else would they be able to read the newspaper and drink coffee while getting paid $28/hour?

[eaton53]

Originally Posted by usa1

Think how a senior UAW guy must feel. Bottom line from GM: "We want you and your high price pay to go so we can bring in some new young guy that makes a fraction of what you did."

The writing is on the wall, the "Walmart"ing of the UAW is underway at full speed.

Lesson everyone should take away from this: Never stop learning and adding skills to your resume.

This isn't anything that John Deere didn't do years ago.

[zete]

I fail to see why this is a surprise. It was obvious GM wants to get rid of the jobs bank and they want to use cheaper labour. They want to shut certain plants focusing on others. To me this is just a continuation of what GM and the UAW signed off on in the fall.

[jae1987]

Originally Posted by zete

I fail to see why this is a surprise. It was obvious GM wants to get rid of the jobs bank and they want to use cheaper labour. They want to shut certain plants focusing on others. To me this is just a continuation of what GM and the UAW signed off on in the fall.

This is what many are wondering, what kind of side deals did the UAW say would float during contract talks. My family members said when GM offers a good chunk of change they are gone, aswell as many others who simply dont see it ever getting better.

[Sal Collaziano]

Originally Posted by logansowner

Then maybe they shouldn't price themselves out of the market. You've got Toyota, a much more successful company paying far less than GM. A pay cut that still leaves them making more than a Toyota worker... boo hoo.

I just wired ten million dollars to your bank account for your excellent post.

[Sal Collaziano]

He's not saying workers Individually did it.. The UAW in general.

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Whoa now. My dad didn't choose to be paid $28/hour. He and many of his co-workers just went along with whatever the UAW negotiated for them. So no, he didn't "price himself out of the market."

[CobaltSScrazy]

well would you rather have 10,000 jobs at 15$/hour or 1,000 jobs at 28$/hour and 9,000 jobs exported to mexico or china?

I choose the former as I believe its more economical and more responsible choice for the United States.

CObaltSScrazy