UAW Sets Chrysler Strike Deadline

The United Auto Workers turned up the heat on Chrysler over the weekend, threatening to  strike if contract talks are not settled by Wednesday. The deadline may mean a deal is close and the UAW wants to push for a resolution of last issues, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The UAW is said to be looking for a contract similar to the agreement reached with GM, which included shifting health care costs to a union-run trust and job guarantees at some US plants. But privately owned Chrysler may be less willing to make promises about future employment, with an eye to moving some production to lower-cost markets. And it doesn't have GM's deep pockets to use to fund heath care liabilities. (More Detroit stories.)