UAW negotiations take 'a turn for the worst' after another proposal rejection

UAW-GM Vice President Terry Dittes notes that day 21 of the UAW strike has “taken a turn for the worst,” as General Motors rejected another proposal that was issued on Saturday, October 5, 2019. 

On the table for negotiations were wages, signing bonus, job security, pensions, skilled trades, profit sharing, transfer rights and much more.

The UAW strike will enter its fourth week starting Monday.

A letter from UAW Vice President Terry Dittes, which you can read in full below, casts doubt on whether there will be a quick settlement in the contract dispute, which sent 49,000 workers to the picket lines on Sept. 16, crippling GM's factories.

Dittes' letter says the union presented a proposal to the company Saturday. He said GM responded Sunday morning by reverting back to an offer that had been rejected and made few changes.

The company's proposal did nothing to address a host of items, Dittes wrote, specifying job security for members during the term of the four-year contract. 

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GM's U.S. factories have been shut down since the workers walked out Sept. 16. Parts shortages also have forced the company to close plants in Mexico and Canada.

Industry analysts say GM is losing more than $80 million a day as the strike continues. Workers earn $250 per week in strike pay while they're on the picket lines, about one-fifth of what they normally make. Wages and pensions are among the issues that remained unsettled. 

Striking workers have said they want a bigger share of the more than $30 billion in profits that GM has made during the past five years. But the company wants to cut its labor costs so they are closer to those at U.S. factories run by foreign automakers, mainly in the South.

Read the full letter below issued by UAW-GM Vice President.