The United Auto Workers’ internal battle over a tentative agreement is heating up as the Autoworkers Caravan, long-time critics of the union’s executive board, have begun to circulate a critique of the contract and called for its rejection.
The union has won several narrow ratification votes in recent years, but the margin of safety has been narrowing over the last decade as the UAW has been forced to make concessions in the face of tough economic times.
Dennis Williams, UAW president, told reporters last week he believed the new contract, which includes substantial pay increases for both first- and second-tier workers, would be ratified.
As it stands, long-term employees will be getting their first pay increase in 10 years and new workers hired since the recession appear unwilling to get entangled in even a brief strike.
However, the critique prepared by the Caravan, which is made up of outspoken critics of union policy and practice, said the contract did not go far enough in closing the gap between first- and second-tier workers and recovering the concessions made in agreements going back to 2007.
“We are stuck with two-tier for another four years. The 25% cap on the number of second-tier workers, which was supposed to go into effect at the end of the contract and bring a percentage of them up to top pay, has been trashed.” the critique noted.
“(Sergio) Marchionne says he believes in Equal Pay for Equal Work—but he thinks the legacy workers are too used to a ‘culture of entitlement.’ His plan is to keep a lid on second-tier pay and wait for the first-tier workers to go away,” the criticism of the proposed agreement said.
“By the end of the contract, the pay gap between the lowest paid and the highest paid—working side by side and doing the same work—will still range from $5-10 an hour,” it said.
(UAW moves contract to ratification stage. For more, Click Here.)
Most “in progression”— because with no path to the top they are not “entry level”— workers will not even reach top pay under this contract. This creates multiple tiers.
“FCA can hire all the Temporary Part-Timers (who make less than “in progression” workers) it wants—that’s another tier. If you read the actual language you noticed that Parts and Axle workers have an even lower top rate in the proposed contract,” according to the Autoworkers Caravan.
The inequality of benefits and pensions — which also affected skilled trades hired after October 2007 — has not been rectified and the alternative work schedule isn’t going anywhere. “Saturdays pay, however, will be at time-and-a-quarter instead of straight time. But how does that improve your family life, your social life or your health?” the critique noted.
(Click Here for more details about the tentative deal between FCA and the UAW.)
“They would like us to forget that Cost Of Living Allowance ever existed. Won in the 1950s, COLA was based on the just premise that our wages should keep up with inflation. That premise is treated as obsolete. Our real wages have fallen since our base rates were frozen and COLA was eliminated. Do they think we don’t know who’s pocketing the difference?
“Instead we get — and this is a big maybe — a bunch of bonuses that could amount to little or nothing if the targets aren’t met. Our signing bonus is even less than four years ago,” the criticism, which is being circulated via e-mail and social media noted.
(To see more about Marchionne’s promise of more money to workers, Click Here.)
Wendy Thompson, a long-time union activist, said social media has helped given critics of the UAW’s establishment.
I got to admit this sounds like a bad faith contract so if it passes then there must be some desperation amongst production workers, which is no surprise after the slaughter the production people experienced while management received bonuses for destroying Chrysler and running them into bankruptcy.
Marchionne would make a good politician if he can state publicly that he believes in equal compensation for equal work and then not pay new or “in progression” workers equal pay to first tier workers. That’s pretty good double-talk…
Or that we are all in this together, except for his own $100 million Pay!!!!
Yeah, many CEOs talk a good story but they are laughing all the way to the bank while they manipulate the media…
As our union tells us we are getting a bugger signing bonus..this is only because it isn’t devided into 2 payments an attandance policy designed to get rid of employees maybe they should work on moral with all the recalls quality is a joke numbers are all that matters not safety if you vote yes to this contract you deserve what you get. Whiich is what Marcioni wants because union will lose alot of money in right to work states rant rant rant
Bad contract! Been here for over 30 yrs. What happened to our cola? What, no salary continuation for new hires? (sick time)! Time-an-a-quarter for Sat. work! Use to be time-and-a-half! the company wanted to eliminate double time for work on Sun? What? The union did good on that one. Rest of contract stinks. What about overtime pay for any hours worked over eight hours? Union gave that up last contract!(have to work 40 hrs. before overtime kicks in). Thanks Gettelfinger! If you need to take sick leave for a day, you have to make that day up first before you get overtime! Even if you work 10-12 hrs. per day. Is that language still there? What about 401K matches? Like management. Does management still get free cars and does the company still pay for their car insurance? The answer is yes! Two lump sum payments instead of four raises for the older workers. This contract is an extension of our last one! I, most likely will retire at the end of this year!!!! But for all my brothers and sisters, this is a sh#^*ty contract! If you vote for this, then you deserve what you get. Does the membership know that the union bigwigs get a $10,000 signing bonus for pushing this crap to it’s member’s I am glad this is a right-to-work-state now, with this kind of representation!