Dayhoff Soundtrack: 20070924 Union Doozy cartoon commentary on UAW walkout by Nate Beeler

The United Auto Workers stunned General Motors Corp. on Monday by launching a daring, nationwide strike to pressure the No. 1 U.S. automaker to protect jobs and wages. Hours later, the two sides resumed bargaining on a new labor contract.

After a tense weekend of negotiations, the auto talks of 2007 boiled over at 11 a.m. Monday when UAW President Ron Gettelfinger ordered 73,000 workers off the job and onto the picket line in the first national strike against GM in 37 years.

The dramatic impasse came after marathon talks since the current GM-UAW contract expired Sept. 14, and sets the stage for a high-stakes battle at the bargaining table.

Key issues under discussion as talks resumed Monday afternoon included benefits for active workers, commitments by GM to invest in its U.S. plants and pensions, according to people familiar with the talks. Gettelfinger attended the sessions, as well as GM's Chief Financial Officer Fritz Henderson and North American President Troy Clarke. Negotiations broke off for the night about 8 p.m. and are expected to resume today.

The bargaining focus on core economic issues came after Gettelfinger blasted GM on Monday for demanding a litany of concessions to solve its financial problems.

"Nobody wants a strike," Gettelfinger said at a packed press conference at UAW headquarters in Detroit. "But there comes a time when somebody pushes you off a cliff and that's exactly what happened."

The unexpected strike came despite an apparent deal between GM and the UAW to create a company-financed, union-run trust to cover $50 billion in health care obligations to 340,000 retirees and family members.

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Read the entire article: 'Off a cliff:' UAW felt pushed over edge; GM 'disappointed' by walkout

More information and articles by what may very well be the best source of information on the unfolding events, The Detroit News Auto Insider:

Pickets back at their posts outside GM gates

UAW-GM talks resume; Gettelfinger says strike may speed agreement

Strikers accused of blocking GM entrances in Pontiac, Orion Twp.

What's good for GM is good for the UAW

Workers: Action is fight for way of life

GM can handle short strike

Strikers put in long first day

Reputation of Detroit 3, UAW seen as casualty

Lengthy walkout could hit suppliers

Striker wallets drained

UAW workers strike GM; talks to resume Tuesday

Gettelfinger 'shocked and disappointed' in GM

UAW sets 11 a.m. strike deadline

GM, UAW back to the bargaining table; talks productive but still no deal

Health fund financing on table as GM, UAW bargain over weekend Autos-UAW-talks

Key issues

Job security : The union wants GM to lock in future work for U.S. factory workers by promising jobs, product commitments and investments in U.S. plants. As of Monday evening, those demands had not been met.

Wages, bonuses : The union wants cost-of-living adjustments from GM. A sizable signing bonus also has been on the table as a way to encourage members to ratify a deal.

Pension : The two sides were discussing pensions throughout the day Monday. GM's pension fund has an estimated $17 billion surplus.

Two-tier wages : The two sides were close Sunday night on cutting a deal that would pay new hires less than active workers, according to sources familiar with the talks. That issue was still on the table Monday.

Retiree health care : GM wants to establish a company-funded, union-run trust that will allow it to remove $50 billion in retiree health care obligations from its books. While a deal on a Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association, or VEBA, has not been finalized, both sides appear to agree on the concept.

Source: Detroit News research

At the table

The lead negotiators for GM and the UAW are auto industry veterans.

GM: Diana Tremblay

Tremblay, GM's chief labor negotiator, took over as the carmaker's vice president of labor relations for North America on Jan. 1, 2006. She had previously served as executive director, labor relations-UAW. During the current negotiations, Tremblay has remained focused and reserved. When GM assumed the lead bargaining role, she talked about the company's priorities: "Health care is the largest single competitive issue we face as a company. For every dollar GM spends on health care, the transplants -- Toyota -- spends one cent." She has worked at GM for 30 years and began her career in engineering and manufacturing for its Powertrain Division.

UAW: Cal Rapson

One of the most seasoned of the UAW's top negotiators, Rapson is said to be popular and respected by many UAW officials at the plant level. He played key roles in the 1990 and 1993 contract talks at GM. Two years ago, he negotiated a groundbreaking contract with heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. The deal, which included a controversial two-tier wage system, ushered in a new era of cooperation between that company and its union workers.

Source: Detroit News research

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