UAW May Bargain with GM and Ford First, Leaving Chrysler for Later

08/28/96

On Tuesday the New York Times reported that the UAW may negotiate its new national contract with Detroit's Big Three automakers starting with GM and Ford, and leaving Chrysler for last. The report comes less than a week after the UAW announced that they were considering breaking with the tradition of picking a lead company for triennial contract negotiations. Late last week UAW President Stephen Yokich announced that the union was content to let contract talks continue with all three automakers simultaneously.

The New York Times cautioned that the UAW may well change its position, but also reported that current union consensus had contract talks proceeding simultaneously with Ford and GM, while Chrysler talks went on the back burner. Traditionally the union picks one company to bargain with, signs a tentative agreement with that company, and then brings the tentative agreement to the other automakers to sign.

The UAW's three-year labor contracts with the Big Three expire at midnight on September 14.

The New York Times reported that Yokich and Richard Shoemaker, the UAW's vice president for GM issues, stayed in Detroit to work out bargaining strategy, in spite of the fact that they were both delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Another delegate, Ernest Lofton, the UAW's vice president for Ford issues, flew back to Detroit on Monday afternoon to join Yokich and Shoemaker, while a fourth delegate, Jack Laskowski, the vice president and head of Chrysler issues, remained in Chicago.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel