Unions Form Mobilizing@Delphi Coalition

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DETROIT, Nov. 7 -- Pledging a strong coordinated fight against Delphi Corp.'s assault on working families and their communities, six unions representing some 33,650 Delphi workers -- and a total of more than 5.5 million active and retired members -- today announced that on Nov. 3, 2005 they formed the Mobilizing@Delphi coalition.

The Mobilizing@Delphi coalition brings together the memberships of the UAW, IUE-CWA, United Steelworkers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), and International Union of Operating Engineers.

In announcing the coalition, the six unions issued the following joint statement:

"We are outraged by Delphi's attempt to use the bankruptcy process to dictate the radical destruction of the living standards of America's industrial workers, while at the same time it plans to reward some 500 'key employees' with up to 10 percent of the company's stock and cash bonuses totaling $87.9 million once Delphi emerges from bankruptcy.

"Delphi's contract proposals to our unions, together with CEO Steve Miller's public statements, clearly reveal senior management's contempt and disdain for the hard-working people who have played a vital role in making Delphi the world's leading automotive parts manufacturer. They have worked hard and played by the rules, but now they find everything they've worked for put at grave risk by years of corporate mismanagement, some of which is under investigation by the SEC, and by Miller's slash-and-burn restructuring strategy.

"The 33,650 Delphi workers represented by our six unions are on the front lines of this critical struggle, but they are not alone; they have the full support and solidarity of the more than 5.5 million active and retired members of our unions. Together we will do everything possible to make sure their rights and interests are protected.

"We also recognize that many others have a stake in this fight. If Steve Miller's actions in the Bethlehem Steel bankruptcy are any indication, Delphi's salaried employees will soon be targets of his strategy as well. Workers at Delphi's suppliers and customers will be affected. Delphi shareholders will be left holding worthless scraps of paper. And Delphi's plan to close numerous plants and tech centers in the United States will have a ripple effect, hurting small businesses and state and local governments.

"Make no mistake: While this is a fight for fairness for our members at Delphi, it is also a fight for fairness for all Delphi stakeholders, with a broader impact on the very concepts of fairness and opportunity in American society. In the days and weeks ahead, the Mobilizing@Delphi coalition will be reaching out to all these Delphi stakeholders in our campaign to get Delphi off the disastrous course plotted by its senior management.

"In his recent media interviews, Steve Miller has tried to make it seem that his way is the one true way. We reject that arrogant and misguided notion. Our unions have demonstrated time and again our willingness and ability to develop innovative, effective and fair approaches to solving problems."