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Rocky Road for Chrysler Deal

3 UAW locals vote down offer that would 'lower our standard of living'

By Emily Roysdon,  Newser User

Posted Oct 20, 2007 4:44 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Three UAW locals voted against the new Chrysler deal yesterday, stirring fears that the agreement may be scuttled. Two plants voted against it by 53%, and a third, in Missouri, by 66% among skilled trades and 79% among assembly line workers. They slammed a proposed 2-level pay structure and new job categories that would mean lower wages, the New York Times reports.

If needed, Chrysler could sweeten the deal for some plants before voting ends next week. Or the UAW could nix the vote and try to strike a deal with Ford instead. Either way, “It looks like for the first time in a huge number of years, there’s a real possibility of rejection,” said an ex-union official. Anger runs deep for some workers: “We will not sit back and continue to lower our standard of living,” one wrote.

Jerry Dennison, President of UAW Local 136, whose members work at Chrysler LLC's North Assembly Plant in Fenton, posts the results of the contract ratification vote Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007, in Fenton, Mo. The contract was rejected by approximately 80% of those that voted. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
Jerry Dennison, President of UAW Local 136, whose members work at Chrysler LLC's North Assembly Plant in Fenton, posts the results of the contract ratification vote Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007, in Fenton,...   (Associated Press)
United Auto Workers members Wally Forbes, right, Paul Hennessey, left, and Lisa Dye carry strike signs outside the Chrysler Warren Stamping facility in Warren, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
United Auto Workers members Wally Forbes, right, Paul Hennessey, left, and Lisa Dye carry strike signs outside the Chrysler Warren Stamping facility in Warren, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Paul...   (Associated Press)
Minivans sit on a lot along side pickup trucks outside a Chrysler assembly plant in this Feb. 14, 2007 file photo in Fenton, Mo. Wording of a tentative contract between Chrysler LLC and the United Auto Workers is raising some concerns about the future of the automaker's two plants in...
Minivans sit on a lot along side pickup trucks outside a Chrysler assembly plant in this Feb. 14, 2007 file photo in Fenton, Mo. Wording of a tentative contract between Chrysler LLC and the United Auto...   (Associated Press)
Three union locals, including one representing a Chrysler assembly plant outside St. Louis whose future is in doubt, voted against the contract in results announced last night and early today, in a sign that the pact could be in trouble. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Three union locals, including one representing a Chrysler assembly plant outside St. Louis whose future is in doubt, voted against the contract in results announced last night and early today, in a sign...   (Associated Press)
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Related links

Chrysler's site
Chrysler Official Site

Can new deals make manufacturers profitable?
Automotive Design & Production

United Auto Workers' site
OAW.org

Future of the Union's site
Future of the Union

US • Money

 
Chrysler • United Auto Workers • General Motors • Detroit • unions • Ford

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