Auto Worker Powerhouse Doug Fraser Dead at 91

(AP) - United Auto Workers members have ratified a package of concessions designed to reduce General Motors' labor costs. Union president Ron Gettelfinger said today 74% of GM's production and skilled-trade workers voted in favor. The vote comes before the company's expected Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing Monday. Bankruptcy experts say having an agreement in place before the filing will help move the process through court more quickly. More»

Bailout collapse leaves state fretting over future

(NEWSER) - Detroit's bailout has crashed and burned, casting a pall on Michigan's future, the Detroit Free Press writes. The state knows the pain that comes with tough times in the auto industry all too well, and it's "incredible" that any American lawmaker "could want to watch these hard times turn so much harder for so many people," notes a Press editorial. More»

Four Indiana plants join six others in voting down proposed contract

(NEWSER) - UAW workers at four Chrysler plants in Indiana last night rejected the embattled contract negotiated by their leaders with the automaker, adding to the six defeats by rank-and-file voters over the weekend. Some smaller locals have approved the contract, says anti-contract organizer Bill Parker, but the larger ones are rejecting it. More»

After 6 locals vote down proposed contract, UAW steps up lobbying

(NEWSER) - UAW members at three auto plants rejected the proposed pact between Chrysler and their union this weekend, bringing to six the number of locals who have voted down the deal, the Wall Street Journal reports. In a last-ditch effort to salvage the agreement, union leaders are focusing lobbying efforts on upcoming votes at plants in Michigan and Illinois. More»

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

(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. More»