UAW strike at General Motors enters its second week
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Negotiations resume Monday morning between the UAW and General Motors, entering the second week of strike for nearly 50,000 workers.
Right now we don't know much about where negotiations stand but we're hearing progress is being made. People close to the talks say union and company negotiators face unresolved issues, ranging from health care and wages to permanent job security for temporary workers.
A few General Motors workers who walked the picket line Monday in front of the Warren Tech Center did not want to talk to the media.
Reality is now setting in as striking workers got their last paycheck on Friday. They are now only getting strike pay which is $250 a week until they go back to work.
"What happens when it drags on, is that both parties become more imbittered, the relationship between them is damaged and both sides suffer economically," said Marick Masters, Wayne State professor of business. "So it's a recipe for harm."
But on the flip side, Masters says there are bright spots.
"The fact that they're still talking is good news," he said. "I think that it's very possible this week you could see a tentative agreement presented to the membership."
The effects of the U.S. strike has been felt in Canada with GM forced to shut down two factories.
"Anything longer than two weeks, the effect becomes magnified," Masters said. "And that is when you feel the real impact of the loss of purchasing power on the part of the autoworkers."
Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren was among those joining workers on the picketlines in Hamtramck this weekend.
"Everyone deserves a living wage in this country," she said. "When union workers win, all American workers win."
Picketers are telling us they want to get back to work, but if need be they're in this for the long haul.
UAW decided on September 14 to let the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with GM lapse. The following day, union leaders voted to strike against GM, putting 49,000 workers out of work and on the picket line, and brought more than 50 GM plants to a grinding halt.
By day three, GM said it was losing $50 million per day as the plants were closed.
A major labor organization sent reps to Hamtramck Sunday in solidarity. The AFL-CIO is a group that represents 55 big unions.
"All eyes are on the strike because what here will determine what happens everywhere in the country," AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Liz Shuler tells us. "The energy is tremendous. I came in from D.C. today and I was surprised from the level of community support."
The details of these talks aren't leaving the Ren Cen, but we know General Motors us looking to keep labor costs low to stay competitive while bracing a for changes in the automotive industry.
The UAW on the other hand wants job security, affordable healthcare and a fair wages for all its workers.
"Now is some time to actually share in some of the wealth that they helped create," Shuler says.
