Jenson Button signs new McLaren contract

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AppId is over the quota

Jenson Button has signed a new deal with McLaren, securing his future with the team.

The 2009 F1 world champion, who currently sits second in the drivers' championship behind title leader and soon-to-be 2011 champ Vettel, has signed with the team beyond 2012 on a new ‘multi-year' contract.

Jenson said: "I've never felt more at home at a team than I do at McLaren. I've won four of the greatest races of my life here and I feel that I'm driving better than ever.

"As a GP driver those are incredibly powerful feelings to share and be part of. I've made no secret of my ambition to continue winning races and world championships, and this is the place where I can achieve those aims."

Team mate Lewis Hamilton was delighted Jenson stuck with the team, and said: "He's been a great person to work with and a genuine team player. Jenson and I are as hungry and as ambitious as ever to win races and world championships in the future."

Jenson Button's old Ford GT is still for sale

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh was similarly glowing about the Brit driver, whose recent form has been one of the 2011 F1 season's talking points. "I can safely say that he's one of the most capable and respected drivers we've ever had," Whitmarsh said.

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GM keeps line labour costs with new contract

Aaron Josefczyk / Reuters file

Workers install parts on the new Chevrolet Cruze car, as it moves along the Assembly line at General Motors Cruze assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio (Ohio), in July. Unionized workers at GM have ratified a new of the four year contract.

By John W. Schoen, senior producer

In new recording contract since General Motors has a massive restructuring in the framework of a rescue by the Government, members of the United Auto workers adopted a new four-year contract with the company, will pay cash bonuses instead of automatic annual pay increases.

GM executives said Wednesday that the agreement means that the company point, maintained its current "break even", allowing the company to stay profitable vehicles with a global turnover of about 10.5 million. Last month, the automaker reported that in the second quarter profits almost by higher vehicle increased prices and strong sales abroad doubled.

Wages too shallow for approval, receive the majority of workers a number of bonuses, the total at least $11,500 in the next four years. At the heart of the bonus program includes a profit-sharing formula for workers based on company's reported results.

"This agreement the interests of workers and employees more than ever is," said GM CEO Daniel Ackerman reporter and investment analysts on a conference call Wednesday. "If employees earn share of profits the workers do." It's so easy.

Workers eligible for additional bonuses if they meet certain production targets quality. The company was also the launch pay for entry-level workers to $19 per hour, to increase about 20 percent higher than the current level.

In the context of a restructuring after the Government 2009 bailout of GM, the company bankrupt, so that some of them to cancel its crushing debt. Also cutting wages and payrolls and slash wages and social benefits, which restore profitability; in 2005, the company employed 111,000 workers at a cost of $16 billion. To reduce the workforce to less than 49,000 workers, labour costs came in 2010 to around 5 billion $.

On your part, Union leaders stressed that the Treaty commits members for the painful sacrifices to get GM rewards back on its feet.

"It is the workers and the quality of work, what you do, that they made together with the victims, that helped have to return the company to profitability."  UAW President Bob King said in a statement. "Now, that GM profits again post, our members in the success of profitability share during GM on"

The Union also notes that the Treaty maintains the current level the benefits for the health and additional unlimited doctor visits for the employees for $25 numbers.

The company is still major hurdles, including a slowdown in economy, which is in car sales to food. As the pensioners struggles many older companies with large pools GM is also a under-funded pension plan, which not, been revised during the restructuring House monitored by the white.

To reduce costs, GM offers a bonus of $10,000 for eligible workers who go in the next two years in retirement. About 40 percent of the company comes hourly workers for retirement.

Although again profitable, the US auto industry is significantly smaller than it was before the 2007 recession hit. Auto sales reached in the United States at about 17 million vehicles in 2000 and kept fairly constant up to 10.5 million in 2009 fall. Increased sales in the first half of the year, but rest the critical supply terminated by the Japanese earthquake in March of parts and materials was.

Analysts had to appreciate the U.S. sales of 13 million units for 2012. But a recent decline in the growth of jobs drop consider trust and the threat of a fresh recession this goal is hard to beat.

It has prompted U.S. to locate automakers for faster growth abroad. China and South America are expected to be more than half of global light vehicle sales by 2015, create analysts at Zack's investment research.

Last week, agreement to develop a GM with SAIC Motor Corp. and build electric vehicles in China. The company expects to begin to sell the Volt in China by the end of the year. The car has driven a range of about 50 miles on a single battery charge and 300 on the gas engine.

Emerged after a public offering of shares to GM before the bankruptcy, the Government contains still half a billion GM shares as part of the company's rescue package 2009. To cover its $26 billion investment, should the Government to get over $53 per share for its holdings.The stock is currently trading at about $20 per share.

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Ford, UAW reach tentative contract pact

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Ford and UAW leaders have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract. Insight with John Fleming, Ford Motor Company executive VP global manufacturing/labor affairs.

Ford Motor Co. and its unionized workers settled on a tentative four-year contract agreement that the automaker said Tuesday would add 12,000 hourly jobs in the U.S. by 2015.

Ford said the pact would add 5,750 more jobs than its previously announced commitment to increase positions by 7,000 by 2012. The carmaker also said it would invest $4.8 billion in its plants as part of the deal with the UAW. That’s part of a $6.2 billion plan to upgrade plants.

The deal still needs to be ratified by the United Auto Workers. If it does OK the pact, it would follow the agreement with GM ratified last week. Chrysler and the UAW are still in talks.

A Ford official told the Associated Press that most of the new hires will be at entry-level wages, which will keep costs down.   

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UAW workers ratify new GM contract

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By a 2-to-1 margin, unionized workers have approved a new four-year contract with General Motors that includes a $5,000 signing bonus and raises entry-level wages.

The contract, which is effective immediately, covers 48,000 members of the United Auto Workers union. The union said the new contract would result in 6,400 new U.S. jobs at GM plants plus thousands more at suppliers and related businesses.

"When it seems like everyone in America is getting cuts in benefits and paying higher co-pays and deductibles, we were able to maintain and improve on our current benefits," UAW vice president Joe Ashton said in a statement on the union website. "Most significant for our members, we were able to add unlimited $25 doctor's office visits. To the credit of GM and the UAW, this improvement will both increase the long term health of our members and reduce overall plan costs."  

Union officials also gave credit to President Barack Obama for extending federal help to GM when the company was forced to seek bankruptcy protection in 2009. Obama was criticized for using taxpayer money to help GM, with some calling GM "Government Motors" for the aid it received.

Besides the signing bonus, union members are eligible for up to $4,000 in "inflation protection" and other payments over the life of the contract, plus an improved profit sharing plan.

Negotiators for the two sides reached a tentative agreement on the contract Sept. 16.

The UAW said 65 percent of production workers and 63 percent of skilled trades workers voted in favor of the deal.

GM executives have set a conference call with Wall Street analysts for Wednesday afternoon to explain the financial implications of the contract, Reuters reported.

UAW officials are negotiating a new contract with Ford and said Monday they expected "to have good news for our membership by the end of the week." But discussions at Chrysler are progressing more slowly.

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GM, UAW Agree On New Labor Contract

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By Bill Visnic September 28, 2011

General Motors Co. today became the first of the Detroit Three automakers to agree on a new four-year labor contract with the United Auto Workers union, announcing in Detroit today a pact that, overall, increases GM’s labor costs about 1 percent. As expected, the UAW garners the commitment of more jobs in GM’s U.S. factories, an increase in the starting wage for newly hired workers and a more-generous profit-sharing formula in addition to a $5,000 signing bonus for each of GM’s approximately 48,500 UAW workers. The new contract was ratified by UAW workers by a roughly 2-to-1 margin.

A “win-win” for GM and the UAW was how GM CEO Dan Akerson described the agreement in a conference call with media and the investment community today. He said the absence of a significant increase in the fixed cost of labor for GM helps the company to “maintain the fortress balance sheet we’ve been working on for the past two years.” Akerson honed in on the new profit-sharing formula, which GM portrayed as more lucrative for workers in the likely range of annual profitability scenarios and with a formula that is “more transparent” than in the past. “When the company does well, the employees ought to share in the success,” Akerson said, adding the program for hourly-worker profit sharing now is similar to the plan for salaried workers.

The Specifics
For GM, the new contract enables savings in the non-compensation area by eliminating pension increases, eliminating a legal-services plan for active workers and retirees and moving entry-level workers to a new defined-contribution pension plan. It also includes the final elimination of the infamous Jobs Bank that guaranteed almost full pay to laid-off workers, and the UAW’s agreement of an incentive program to encourage some of GM’s approximately 10,000 underutilized skilled-trades workers to retire.

In terms of compensation-related aspects of the new contract, GM agreed to increase the starting wages of new employees by about $3 per hour from the approximately $14 starting wage today, while the UAW accepted no cost-of-living wage adjustments during the life of the contract and no base wage increases for experienced workers. But the prime component is the new profit-sharing formula. If GM makes $4.7 billion in profits earned in 2010, it would yield a profit-sharing check of about $4,000 for each worker. GM said the overall increase of about 1 percent in labor cost will enable the company to maintain its breakeven point at an annual U.S. Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of sales of about 10.5 million units (Edmunds.com’s forecast for 2011 SAAR currently stands at 12.6 million units). The extra costs associated with the new contract will be offset by attrition of older, higher-wage workers and the skilled-trades workers, who will see retirement packages of up to $75,000.

For the UAW, more money for entry-level workers – and the promise of better profit-sharing for all – was nice, but the plum is GM’s promise of maintaining or adding as many as 6,400 new jobs during the duration of the contract. Central to the commitment is the reopening of GM’s dormant assembly plant in Spring Hill, TN, and the addition of a shift to build a new midsize pickup at the company’s plant in Wentzville, MO, as well as increased work at two powertrain plants in Michigan. Questioned about how the Spring Hill plant will be staffed – the contract’s broad rules maintain a company-wide limit for entry-level wage earners of 25 percent – GM officials said the company and the union are working on a “unique set of arrangements” regarding the eventual mix of experienced and new workers at Spring Hill. The company also still has about 700 veteran workers on layoff, GM said.

 

Working Pattern
Although the UAW and GM seem satisfied with the result of the new labor contract, it is unlikely all its specifics can be carried over to currently ongoing negotiations with Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group LLC. For Ford, which reputedly has labor costs slightly higher than GM, workers are said to be seeking higher signing bonuses and a better profit-sharing program, while it is believed Ford may be committed to adding as many as 10,000 new UAW jobs during the life of the contract, which runs through 2015.

The going may be tougher at Chrysler, where CEO Sergio Marchionne has publicly said the company cannot afford GM’s generosity – and to now, at least, has no profits to share. Marchionne also injected an element of combativeness into the negotiations when a letter sent to UAW president Bob King chastised King for not attending a meeting with Marchionne as the current contract’s initial deadline approached. Chrysler and the UAW subsequently extended the deadline to Oct. 19.

Bill Visnic:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter

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GM's holds line on labor costs with new contract

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Aaron Josefczyk / Reuters-Datei

Arbeitnehmer installieren Teile auf dem neuen Chevrolet Cruze-Auto, wie es bewegt sich entlang Fließband in der General Motors Cruze-Montagewerk in Lordstown (Ohio), im Juli. Gewerkschaftlich organisierte Arbeitnehmer bei GM haben einen neuen der vier-Jahres-Arbeitsvertrag ratifiziert.

Von John W. Schoen, Senior Producer

In neuen Plattenvertrag da General Motors hat einen massiven Umstrukturierungen im Rahmen einer Rettung durch die Regierung, haben Mitglieder der United Auto Workers einen neuen vier-Jahres-Vertrag mit dem Unternehmen angenommen, die Cash-Boni anstelle von automatischen jährlichen Lohnerhöhungen zahlt.

GM Führungskräfte sagte Mittwoch, dass die Vereinbarung bedeutet, dass das Unternehmen seine aktuellen "Break-even" Punkt, beibehalten wird, wodurch das Unternehmen, mit einem globalen Umsatz von ca. 10,5 Millionen Fahrzeuge profitabel zu bleiben. Im vergangenen Monat berichtet die Automobilhersteller, dass im zweiten Quartal Gewinne fast durch höhere Fahrzeug Preise und hohe Umsätze im Ausland verstärkt verdoppelt.

Bei Zustimmung zu flach Löhne, erhalten die meisten Beschäftigten eine Reihe von Prämien, die insgesamt mindestens $11.500 in den nächsten vier Jahren. Das Herzstück des Bonusprogramms enthält eine Gewinnbeteiligung Formel für Arbeiter basierend auf gemeldete Ergebnis des Unternehmens.

"Diese Vereinbarung die Interessen der Arbeiter und Angestellte stärker als je zuvor richtet," sagte GM CEO Daniel Ackerman Reporter und Investment-Analysten auf einer Telefonkonferenz Mittwoch. "Wenn Angestellte Anteil am Gewinn verdienen die Arbeiter auch tun. Es ist so einfach.

Arbeitnehmer förderfähig auch für zusätzliche Boni, wenn sie bestimmte Ziele für die Erzeugung Qualität erfüllen. Das Unternehmen stimmte auch den starten Lohn für Einsteiger Arbeitnehmer bis $19 pro Stunde, etwa 20 Prozent höher als die derzeitigen Niveau zu erhöhen.

Im Rahmen einer Umstrukturierung nach der Regierung 2009 Rettungspaket für GM, die Firma Konkurs, so dass sie einige seiner erdrückenden Schulden zu stornieren. Auch Schneiden Lohn-und Gehaltslisten und Schrägstrich Löhnen und Sozialleistungen, die Profitabilität wieder herstellen; im Jahr 2005 beschäftigte das Unternehmen 111.000 Arbeiter zu einem Preis von $16 Milliarden. Nach dem Verkleinern der Belegschaft auf weniger als 49.000 Arbeiter, kam die Arbeitskosten im Jahr 2010 auf rund 5 Mrd. $.

Ihrerseits betont Gewerkschaftsführer, dass der Vertrag Mitglieder für die schmerzhaften Opfer verpflichtet, GM wieder auf die Beine zu bekommen belohnt.

"Es ist, die Arbeitnehmer und die Qualität der Arbeit, was, die Sie tun, die zusammen mit der Opfer, die sie gemacht, die dazu beigetragen haben, diese Firma in die Gewinnzone zurückzukehren.  UAW Präsident Bob King sagte in einer Erklärung. "Nun, dass GM Gewinne wieder bekanntgibt, unsere Mitglieder in den Erfolg teilen während GM gewährleistet Profitabilität weiter"

Die Union stellt auch fest, dass der Vertrag das aktuelle Niveau der Nutzen für die Gesundheit und zusätzliche unbegrenzte Arztbesuche behält, für die Arbeitnehmer zu $25 Zahlen.

Das Unternehmen ist immer noch große Hürden, einschließlich einer Verlangsamung Wirtschaft, die in Autoverkäufe zu Essen ist. Wie viele ältere Unternehmen mit großen Pools der Rentner ringt GM auch ein unterfinanziert Pensionsplans, durch die nicht überarbeitet wurde, während die Umstrukturierung überwacht durch das Weiße Haus.

Um Kosten zu senken, bietet GM einen Bonus von $10.000 für die förderfähigen Arbeitnehmer, die in den nächsten zwei Jahren in Rente gehen. Rund 40 Prozent des Unternehmens stündlichen Arbeitskräfte kommt für den Ruhestand.

Obwohl wieder profitabel, ist die US-Autoindustrie erheblich kleiner, als es war, bevor die 2007-Rezession getroffen. Auto-Verkauf erreichte in den USA bei etwa 17 Millionen Fahrzeuge im Jahr 2000 und hielt ziemlich konstant bis zu 10,5 Millionen im Jahr 2009 fallen. Umsatz in der ersten Hälfte des Jahres verstärkt, aber die Erholung vom japanischen Erdbeben im März die kritische Versorgung von Teilen und Materialien abgebrochen wurde.

Analysten hatten den schätzen US-Umsatz von 13 Millionen Einheiten für 2012. Aber ein jüngsten Rückgang der Zuwachs an Arbeitsplätzen, fallen betrachten Vertrauen und die Gefahr einer frischen Rezession wird dieses Ziel schwer zu schlagen.

Die hat aufgefordert, U.S. Automobilhersteller für schnelleres Wachstum im Ausland zu suchen. China und Südamerika werden voraussichtlich mehr als die Hälfte des globalen leichtes Fahrzeug Umsatz bis 2015, erstellen Analysten bei Zacks Investment Research.

Letzte Woche, Vereinbarung GM eine mit SAIC Motor Corp zu entwickeln und zu bauen elektrische Fahrzeuge in China. Das Unternehmen erwartet zu beginnen, bis Ende des Jahres den Volt in China zu verkaufen. Das Auto hat eine Reichweite von etwa 50 Meilen auf eine einzelne Akkuladung und 300 auf die Gas-Motor angetrieben.

Nach ein öffentliches Angebot von Aktien nach GM vor dem Bankrott, entstanden enthält die US-Regierung noch eine halbe Milliarde GM-Aktien als Teil des Unternehmens 2009 Rettungspaket. Um seine 26 Milliarden Dollar Investitionen zu decken, müsste die Regierung über $53 pro Aktie für seine Bestände zu erhalten.Das Lager ist derzeit den Handel bei etwa $20 pro Aktie.

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UAW workers ratify new GM contract

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By a 2-to-1 margin, unionized workers have approved a new four-year contract with General Motors that includes a $5,000 signing bonus and raises entry-level wages.

The contract, which is effective immediately, covers 48,000 members of the United Auto Workers union. The union said the new contract would result in 6,400 new U.S. jobs at GM plants plus thousands more at suppliers and related businesses.

"When it seems like everyone in America is getting cuts in benefits and paying higher co-pays and deductibles, we were able to maintain and improve on our current benefits," UAW vice president Joe Ashton said in a statement on the union website. "Most significant for our members, we were able to add unlimited $25 doctor's office visits. To the credit of GM and the UAW, this improvement will both increase the long term health of our members and reduce overall plan costs."  

Union officials also gave credit to President Barack Obama for extending federal help to GM when the company was forced to seek bankruptcy protection in 2009. Obama was criticized for using taxpayer money to help GM, with some calling GM "Government Motors" for the aid it received.

Besides the signing bonus, union members are eligible for up to $4,000 in "inflation protection" and other payments over the life of the contract, plus an improved profit sharing plan.

Negotiators for the two sides reached a tentative agreement on the contract Sept. 16.

The UAW said 65 percent of production workers and 63 percent of skilled trades workers voted in favor of the deal.

GM executives have set a conference call with Wall Street analysts for Wednesday afternoon to explain the financial implications of the contract, Reuters reported.

UAW officials are negotiating a new contract with Ford and said Monday they expected "to have good news for our membership by the end of the week." But discussions at Chrysler are progressing more slowly.

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UAW Contract Paves Way For New Cars, Trucks

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By Michelle Krebs September 28, 2011

The United Auto Workers' (UAW) new contract with General Motors Co., ratified Wednesday, and ones being negotiated between the union with Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group LLC will be wins for the consumer in the form of new vehicle models built in the home market. Already, the new four-year contract that the union negotiated with GM and won approval by a wide margin of the rank-and-file makes it possible for a new line of cars and new line of trucks to be built in the United States. Ford and Chrysler undoubtedly will announce commitments for new models at their U.S. plants as they negotiate a new national agreement with the UAW.

In detailing the tentative GM contract last week, UAW officials said the automaker had committed to building an unspecified compact vehicle at an unspecified plant. On Wednesday, after the new pact was approved, GM confirmed the “unspecified plant” is its now-shuttered facility in Spring Hill, Tenn., once a Saturn-only operation. GM still did not say specifically what models would be built there but said the plant would operate under an innovative local contract that will allow for production of a variety of vehicles and architecture. The plant and workforce will be flexible enough to quickly change from one vehicle to another based on market demand.

Plant Capacity
Experts like Kristen Dziczek, a labor analyst with the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) in Ann Arbor, Mich., said the Spring Hill plant will produce vehicles that use the ND2XX (second-generation Delta) platform, the architecture used for the Opel Astra compact car and its variants. The Astra nameplate, once imported from Germany and sold as a Saturn, is a highly likely candidate for the plant with the performance variant Astra GTC destined to be sold as a new Buick. The Astra’s underpinnings also go under the Chevrolet Volt (that could require added production if sales ever take off) and the Chevrolet Cruze (both of which could use more U.S. capacity if GM decides to sell a hatchback body style); the Chevrolet Orlando that GM revoked from U.S. product plans but goes on sale this fall in neighboring Canada; and the Chevrolet Captiva and Antera crossovers that are sold overseas.

The tentative contract also clears the way for GM to produce a version of its midsize Chevrolet Colorado truck, at its Wentzville, Mo., plant. The plant currently is on a single shift assembling GM’s full-size vans, the Chevrolet Express and the GMC Savana. The Shreveport, La., plant that makes the current Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon still is scheduled to be closed in 2012, but under the new GM-UAW contract, GM has committed to a new midsize truck program in Missouri, union officials confirmed. That truck will be based on a newly developed model now being built in Thailand and being launched in overseas markets.

Could Ford be following the same trek as GM? All the while that GM was denying plans for a smaller truck in the U.S., it was touting the new overseas replacement for the Colorado, most recently displaying it at the recent Frankfurt auto show (top) and releasing a stream of photos of the vehicle at auto shows and on engineering development drives. Ford, likewise, vehemently has denied that it would replace the outgoing Ford Ranger pickup truck, now built at the aged Twin Cities plant in Minnesota that is scheduled for closure. This week Ford launched a new Ranger pickup (below) in Melburne, Australia, one also mainly designed for overseas markets. A Ford spokesman told AutoObserver on Wednesday that “the global Ranger works best in markets outside of North America” where Ford does not sell the F-Series. In North America, Ford is investing in and expanding its F-Series line-up.

Like GM’s contract with the UAW that did not keep the Shreveport, La., truck assembly plant open, a new model is unlikely to save the Twin Cities plant that now makes the current Ranger. Built in 1925, the plant has the disadvantage of being far from headquarters and the heart of the parts supply base. The plant received one stay of execution when Ford decided to continue producing the current Ranger for a bit longer, and CAR’s Dziczek said Ford’s contract with the UAW could include new language on “standby status,” allowing plants to be mothballed until a new use can be found, as GM did with the Spring Hill plant. However, new models will go into other underutilized Ford plants. Prime candidates are those in either Flat Rock, Mich., or Avon Lake, Ohio.

Close To Home
In providing her analysis last week of the GM-UAW contract to media members of the Automotive Press Association, Dziczek said the two Ford plants will win new products from the new contract. The Avon Lake, Ohio, plant, located less than three hours from Detroit, currently is underutilized assembling the full-size Ford E-Series van. The future of the Auto Alliance International (AAI) plant in Flat Rock, Mich., a 50-50 joint venture between Ford and Mazda, has been in limbo since Mazda announced that it would discontinue production of its Mazda6 midsize sedan in the United States and built its successor in Hofu, Japan. Ford currently builds the Mustang at Flat Rock, which having been constructed in 1987 makes it young by assembly-plant standards

Word leaking out from Ford-UAW talks hint that the Ford Fusion (now built in Mexico) may be built in the United States under the new contract. Already familiar with assembling a midsize sedan, Flat Rock is a prime candidate. “I don’t think that plant is in danger of closing,” insisted Dziczek. “It’s a good plant. It is close to Ford headquarters, and plants getting the newer technology vehicles are going into plants close to headquarters. So it has that advantage.”

At Chrysler, two plants will be awarded new vehicles as a result of a contract expected to be completed in the coming weeks. They are plants in Toledo, Ohio, and Belevidere, Ill. At the moment, the Toledo Supplier Park, which assembles the Jeep Wrangler, operates under a labor agreement separate from the national one. It came about as Chrysler experimented with having suppliers on the plant’s campus (the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro are built at another nearby plant in Toledo). Dziczek predicts that the now under-utilized Toledo factory will be brought under the national agreement in these negotiations, giving the plant more flexibility and opportunity for new models. Could it be the Wrangler pickup truck? Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has said one is planned for 2015 or so. The Belevidere plant is a crown jewel among Chrysler’s manufacturing facilities. It was one of the key lures of Fiat making its investment in Chrysler. The plant currently builds the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Patriot and Jeep Compass. The plant is expected to win Fiat-based models.

For the UAW, the new models represent more jobs (and more dues-paying members). The automakers are using added jobs as a bargaining chip for expanding entry-level pay under the momentous two-tier wage structure the UAW agreed to in 2007 to help the Detroit automakers reduce their overall costs. But car-buying consumers win as well with a wider array of vehicle choices.

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.

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GM union leaders back new contract

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Union leaders from General Motors factories around the country have endorsed a new four-year contract with the automaker, the Associated Press reports.

They are recommending that GM's 48,500 factory workers approve the deal in votes during the next week, the news wire said, noting that:

The agreement reached Friday includes a $5,000 signing bonus and improved profit-sharing instead of hourly pay raises for most of the workers. About 2,400 entry-level workers will get raises. They now make $14 to $16 per hour, about half the pay of a longtime UAW worker.

Profit-sharing will be a minimum of $3,500 next year.

The union now will focus on negotiations with Chrysler, and Ford will be next.

Since Chrysler isn't making as much money as GM, workers there probably won't see as good of a deal.

CNBC's Phil LeBeau has more details:

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Chrysler And UAW Extend Contract Deadline

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By AutoObserver Staff September 22, 2011

The Chrysler Group LLC announced that it has extended until Oct. 19 the deadline to construct a new 4-year labor agreement. The two parties made headlines last week when details of a letter sent from Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne surfaced, indicating Marchionne’s disappointment with UAW chief Bob King for missing a meeting and for the parties’ failure to negotiate a tentative new deal before the original deadline.

The new extension for the Chrysler-UAW contract talks is a month beyond the first deadline, seemingly indicating that Chrysler and the union have substantial differences. Marchionne said Chrysler could not afford and would not agree to the kind of contract negotiated with General Motors Co. that is waiting for ratification from GM’s UAW membership. The UAW has said it now is shifting its focus to completing a contract with Ford Motor Co., which also extended the timeframe for negotiations with the UAW.

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GM-UAW agree on new contract

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DETROIT — General Motors Co. and the United Auto Workers, sobered by the government bailout and bankruptcy at the automaker just two years ago, reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract without the public acrimony or strikes that have plagued the talks in the past.

Details weren't immediately released, but the union said the agreement includes some of its major goals, including assurances of new products for U.S. plants, improved health care benefits and a profit-sharing plan. The union said the plan will put laid-off members back to work.

"When GM was struggling, our members shared in the sacrifice. Now that the company is posting profits again, our members want to share in the success," UAW Vice President Joe Ashton, the chief negotiator with GM, said in a statement. "The wages and benefits we negotiated in this tentative agreement reflect the fact that it was UAW members who helped turn this company around."

UAW President Bob King, who was reached by phone Friday night, said he wouldn't comment on the agreement until after he has met with local union leaders.

The contract covers 48,500 GM workers in the U.S. GM was the first of the Detroit Three to reach an agreement with the UAW. Chrysler Group and Ford Motor Co. are still negotiating.

The UAW announced the agreement just after 11 p.m. EDT Friday (0300 GMT Saturday), after a little more than seven weeks of closed-door bargaining.

The UAW's contract with GM expired Wednesday, but the union had extended it indefinitely while negotiators continued to talk. In the past, workers might have gone on strike when the deadline passed. But this year, GM and Chrysler workers had limited ability to strike under the terms of the companies' government bailouts two years ago. These talks are the first since GM and Chrysler needed government aid to make it through bankruptcy protection in 2009.

Workers must vote on the plan before it will take effect. Union leaders from around the country have been asked to come to Detroit Tuesday to learn the details so they can explain them to their members. GM says a vote is expected in the next week to 10 days.

"We used a creative problem solving approach to reach an agreement that addresses the needs of employees and positions our business for long-term success," said Cathy Clegg, GM's vice president of labor relations. "We worked hard for a contract that recognizes the realities of today's marketplace."

Talks between GM, Ford and Chrysler determine the wages for 112,500 factory workers at all three companies. They also set the bar for wages at auto parts companies, U.S. factories run by foreign automakers and other manufacturers, which employ hundreds of thousands of people.

The White House also will be watching the outcome of the talks. GM received $49.5 billion in government bailout funds two years ago and is still part-owned by the U.S. Treasury. An agreement that is favorable to GM could help the company's stock rise, which would get the Treasury closer to making back the money it is owed when it sells its remaining shares.

GM began the talks paying its workers an estimated $56 per hour in wages and benefits, which is about the same amount that Ford and Toyota Motor Co. pay their U.S. workers but higher than Chrysler and Hyundai Motor Co.

After its wrenching trip through bankruptcy protection, GM is making money again. The company made $4.7 billion last year, its first annual profit since 2004. But it isn't eager to add costs after years of layoffs and plant closings.

The UAW has shown a willingness to work with GM to cut labor costs. Last fall, the union agreed to lower the wages of 40 percent of its workers at a Michigan plant so it can profitably build the subcompact Chevrolet Sonic there. In turn, GM has promised to invest in its U.S. workers and facilities. Earlier this summer, GM pledged to put $2 billion into 17 U.S. facilities over the next 18 months. The company says the investment will create or retain 4,000 jobs.

The UAW hopes to show that it can work cooperatively with auto companies as it tries to unionize U.S. factories owned by Nissan Motor Co., Honda Motor Co., Volkswagen AG and other foreign automakers. King said the union remains committed to organizing those plants.

"As long as unionized workers are being forced to compete with nonunion workers who in most cases receive lower pay and benefits — many in temporary jobs — there will continue to be a downward pressure on the wages and benefits of all auto workers," he said.

The union's focus on GM slowed the Chrysler negotiations and drew an angry response earlier in the week from CEO Sergio Marchionne.

Marchionne accused King of failing to show up at Chrysler's Auburn Hills, Michigan, headquarters to finalize a deal on Wednesday night. Marchionne then left the country, so it's unlikely a deal will be finalized until he returns next week.

Talks with Ford have made little progress while negotiations continue with the other two companies.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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GM-UAW Contract Boosts Jobs, Bonuses

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AppId is over the quota
By Michelle Krebs September 20, 2011

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union’s tentative contract with General Motors includes new jobs, a signing bonus for members, enhanced profit sharing and a boost in pay for entry-level workers, union officials said Tuesday. The contract now goes to GM’s 48,500 UAW members for a vote. At the same time, contract talks at Chrysler and Ford are gearing up. UAW President Bob King (below, left) said the contract could add as much as $20,000 in compensation to union members’ wallets over the course of the four-year deal, depending on GM’s level of profits. This despite the fact that the contract includes no annual raises for most workers in the next four years. Workers will receive a minimum of $3,500 in profit-sharing next year and a $250 per-year bonus for meeting quality targets. GM workers will vote on the contract over the next week, while the UAW accelerates talks with Chrysler and Ford.

Other highlights of the tentative GM contract include: the addition of 6,400 jobs; a $5,000 signing bonus for all members; and a $3.50 per hour boost for entry-level workers under the two-tier wage structure to $19.28 an hour from the current $14 to $16 an hour, about half of what workers with more seniority receive. The contract maintains the unlimited $25 per visit co-pay for health care. But jobs were the top priority in this round of negotiations, the first since GM emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009, King and UAW Vice President Joe Ashton (below) said at a press briefing on the contract Tuesday. “In these uncertain economic times, we were able to win a tentative agreement with GM that guarantees good American jobs at a good American company,” said King in his statement issued Tuesday. “When GM was down, our members sacrificed and saved GM. Now that GM is posting strong profits, our members, as a result of this tentative agreement, are going to share in the company’s success.”

GM will invest $2.5 billion to save or retain about 6,400 jobs in the United States over the four years of the contract. GM will re-open its Spring Hill, Tenn., plant, which was built to exclusively build Saturn models. Just before it was shuttered, it was producing other GM models. Now GM will build two midsize cars at the plant. The UAW’s Ashton said many of Spring Hill’s jobs will go to workers laid off from the plant. About 500 jobs will start at the end of 2012 with another 500 starting for another product by the end of 2013. GM will also add jobs at its Wentzville, Mo., facility for additional midsize truck capacity. Plants in Saginaw, Mich., and Fort Wayne, Ind., already are receiving significant investment for the next-generation of full-size pickup trucks and SUVs. GM also is adding capacity for a compact car. Some jobs will be brought back from Mexico to Michigan. The Janesville, Wis., plant is listed as on standby. The union was not able to save the Shreveport, La., plant, where GM builds small trucks, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.

At the same time that GM adds jobs, it will try to encourage older workers to retire early or leave the company. The automaker will pay eligible workers up to a $10,000 bonus if they retire within the next two years. Skilled-trades workers, such as electricians and pipefitters, will receive a $65,000 bonus if they retire or leave between Nov. 1 and March 31, 2012. Ashton said about 35 percent of GM workers are eligible to retire, though he said because of tough economic times, it is difficult to forecast how many will accept the deal. Shedding older, more expensive workers allows GM to hire entry-level employees at a lower wage. Ashton said only 4 percent of GM’s workforce now receives the lower wage. The union would like to see that rise to 40 percent during the life of the contract. Before GM’s bankruptcy, that level was capped at 25 percent, a cap that was lifted by the federal government as part of the bailout package.

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.

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Chrysler And UAW Extend Contract Deadline

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By AutoObserver Staff September 22, 2011

The Chrysler Group LLC announced that it has extended until Oct. 19 the deadline to construct a new 4-year labor agreement. The two parties made headlines last week when details of a letter sent from Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne surfaced, indicating Marchionne’s disappointment with UAW chief Bob King for missing a meeting and for the parties’ failure to negotiate a tentative new deal before the original deadline.

The new extension for the Chrysler-UAW contract talks is a month beyond the first deadline, seemingly indicating that Chrysler and the union have substantial differences. Marchionne said Chrysler could not afford and would not agree to the kind of contract negotiated with General Motors Co. that is waiting for ratification from GM’s UAW membership. The UAW has said it now is shifting its focus to completing a contract with Ford Motor Co., which also extended the timeframe for negotiations with the UAW.

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GM union leaders back new contract

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Union leaders from General Motors factories around the country have endorsed a new four-year contract with the automaker, the Associated Press reports.

They are recommending that GM's 48,500 factory workers approve the deal in votes during the next week, the news wire said, noting that:

The agreement reached Friday includes a $5,000 signing bonus and improved profit-sharing instead of hourly pay raises for most of the workers. About 2,400 entry-level workers will get raises. They now make $14 to $16 per hour, about half the pay of a longtime UAW worker.

Profit-sharing will be a minimum of $3,500 next year.

The union now will focus on negotiations with Chrysler, and Ford will be next.

Since Chrysler isn't making as much money as GM, workers there probably won't see as good of a deal.

CNBC's Phil LeBeau has more details:

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GM-UAW agree on new contract

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DETROIT — General Motors Co. and the United Auto Workers, sobered by the government bailout and bankruptcy at the automaker just two years ago, reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract without the public acrimony or strikes that have plagued the talks in the past.

Details weren't immediately released, but the union said the agreement includes some of its major goals, including assurances of new products for U.S. plants, improved health care benefits and a profit-sharing plan. The union said the plan will put laid-off members back to work.

"When GM was struggling, our members shared in the sacrifice. Now that the company is posting profits again, our members want to share in the success," UAW Vice President Joe Ashton, the chief negotiator with GM, said in a statement. "The wages and benefits we negotiated in this tentative agreement reflect the fact that it was UAW members who helped turn this company around."

UAW President Bob King, who was reached by phone Friday night, said he wouldn't comment on the agreement until after he has met with local union leaders.

The contract covers 48,500 GM workers in the U.S. GM was the first of the Detroit Three to reach an agreement with the UAW. Chrysler Group and Ford Motor Co. are still negotiating.

The UAW announced the agreement just after 11 p.m. EDT Friday (0300 GMT Saturday), after a little more than seven weeks of closed-door bargaining.

The UAW's contract with GM expired Wednesday, but the union had extended it indefinitely while negotiators continued to talk. In the past, workers might have gone on strike when the deadline passed. But this year, GM and Chrysler workers had limited ability to strike under the terms of the companies' government bailouts two years ago. These talks are the first since GM and Chrysler needed government aid to make it through bankruptcy protection in 2009.

Workers must vote on the plan before it will take effect. Union leaders from around the country have been asked to come to Detroit Tuesday to learn the details so they can explain them to their members. GM says a vote is expected in the next week to 10 days.

"We used a creative problem solving approach to reach an agreement that addresses the needs of employees and positions our business for long-term success," said Cathy Clegg, GM's vice president of labor relations. "We worked hard for a contract that recognizes the realities of today's marketplace."

Talks between GM, Ford and Chrysler determine the wages for 112,500 factory workers at all three companies. They also set the bar for wages at auto parts companies, U.S. factories run by foreign automakers and other manufacturers, which employ hundreds of thousands of people.

The White House also will be watching the outcome of the talks. GM received $49.5 billion in government bailout funds two years ago and is still part-owned by the U.S. Treasury. An agreement that is favorable to GM could help the company's stock rise, which would get the Treasury closer to making back the money it is owed when it sells its remaining shares.

GM began the talks paying its workers an estimated $56 per hour in wages and benefits, which is about the same amount that Ford and Toyota Motor Co. pay their U.S. workers but higher than Chrysler and Hyundai Motor Co.

After its wrenching trip through bankruptcy protection, GM is making money again. The company made $4.7 billion last year, its first annual profit since 2004. But it isn't eager to add costs after years of layoffs and plant closings.

The UAW has shown a willingness to work with GM to cut labor costs. Last fall, the union agreed to lower the wages of 40 percent of its workers at a Michigan plant so it can profitably build the subcompact Chevrolet Sonic there. In turn, GM has promised to invest in its U.S. workers and facilities. Earlier this summer, GM pledged to put $2 billion into 17 U.S. facilities over the next 18 months. The company says the investment will create or retain 4,000 jobs.

The UAW hopes to show that it can work cooperatively with auto companies as it tries to unionize U.S. factories owned by Nissan Motor Co., Honda Motor Co., Volkswagen AG and other foreign automakers. King said the union remains committed to organizing those plants.

"As long as unionized workers are being forced to compete with nonunion workers who in most cases receive lower pay and benefits — many in temporary jobs — there will continue to be a downward pressure on the wages and benefits of all auto workers," he said.

The union's focus on GM slowed the Chrysler negotiations and drew an angry response earlier in the week from CEO Sergio Marchionne.

Marchionne accused King of failing to show up at Chrysler's Auburn Hills, Michigan, headquarters to finalize a deal on Wednesday night. Marchionne then left the country, so it's unlikely a deal will be finalized until he returns next week.

Talks with Ford have made little progress while negotiations continue with the other two companies.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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GM-UAW Contract Boosts Jobs, Bonuses

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AppId is over the quota
By Michelle Krebs September 20, 2011

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union’s tentative contract with General Motors includes new jobs, a signing bonus for members, enhanced profit sharing and a boost in pay for entry-level workers, union officials said Tuesday. The contract now goes to GM’s 48,500 UAW members for a vote. At the same time, contract talks at Chrysler and Ford are gearing up. UAW President Bob King (below, left) said the contract could add as much as $20,000 in compensation to union members’ wallets over the course of the four-year deal, depending on GM’s level of profits. This despite the fact that the contract includes no annual raises for most workers in the next four years. Workers will receive a minimum of $3,500 in profit-sharing next year and a $250 per-year bonus for meeting quality targets. GM workers will vote on the contract over the next week, while the UAW accelerates talks with Chrysler and Ford.

Other highlights of the tentative GM contract include: the addition of 6,400 jobs; a $5,000 signing bonus for all members; and a $3.50 per hour boost for entry-level workers under the two-tier wage structure to $19.28 an hour from the current $14 to $16 an hour, about half of what workers with more seniority receive. The contract maintains the unlimited $25 per visit co-pay for health care. But jobs were the top priority in this round of negotiations, the first since GM emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009, King and UAW Vice President Joe Ashton (below) said at a press briefing on the contract Tuesday. “In these uncertain economic times, we were able to win a tentative agreement with GM that guarantees good American jobs at a good American company,” said King in his statement issued Tuesday. “When GM was down, our members sacrificed and saved GM. Now that GM is posting strong profits, our members, as a result of this tentative agreement, are going to share in the company’s success.”

GM will invest $2.5 billion to save or retain about 6,400 jobs in the United States over the four years of the contract. GM will re-open its Spring Hill, Tenn., plant, which was built to exclusively build Saturn models. Just before it was shuttered, it was producing other GM models. Now GM will build two midsize cars at the plant. The UAW’s Ashton said many of Spring Hill’s jobs will go to workers laid off from the plant. About 500 jobs will start at the end of 2012 with another 500 starting for another product by the end of 2013. GM will also add jobs at its Wentzville, Mo., facility for additional midsize truck capacity. Plants in Saginaw, Mich., and Fort Wayne, Ind., already are receiving significant investment for the next-generation of full-size pickup trucks and SUVs. GM also is adding capacity for a compact car. Some jobs will be brought back from Mexico to Michigan. The Janesville, Wis., plant is listed as on standby. The union was not able to save the Shreveport, La., plant, where GM builds small trucks, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.

At the same time that GM adds jobs, it will try to encourage older workers to retire early or leave the company. The automaker will pay eligible workers up to a $10,000 bonus if they retire within the next two years. Skilled-trades workers, such as electricians and pipefitters, will receive a $65,000 bonus if they retire or leave between Nov. 1 and March 31, 2012. Ashton said about 35 percent of GM workers are eligible to retire, though he said because of tough economic times, it is difficult to forecast how many will accept the deal. Shedding older, more expensive workers allows GM to hire entry-level employees at a lower wage. Ashton said only 4 percent of GM’s workforce now receives the lower wage. The union would like to see that rise to 40 percent during the life of the contract. Before GM’s bankruptcy, that level was capped at 25 percent, a cap that was lifted by the federal government as part of the bailout package.

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.

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General Motors, UAW Agree On New Labor Contract

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AppId is over the quota
By AutoObserver Staff September 17, 2011

General Motors Corp. and the United Auto Workers union said late on Friday they have reached a tentative contract agreement that will cover GM’s 48,500 UAW workers for the next four years. The UAW bargainers now must present the contract to the union’s members for a ratification vote, which should happen in the next week to ten days – but details and terms of the new contract have yet to be made public. The UAW still is negotiating new contracts with Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group LLC.

A UAW statement about the tentative contract with GM said its provisions protect “good American jobs” and that workers will share in GM’s success, alluding to the widely-held speculation that one of the contract’s provisions would be a new profit-sharing format. It also is expected to get GM’s guarantee of more jobs in the U.S., a matter vital to the UAW to stem the trend toward offshoring vehicle assembly to countries with lower labor costs. Cathy Clegg, GM's vice president of labor relations, said in a statement, “We worked hard for a contract that recognizes the realities of today's marketplace, enabling GM to continue to invest in U.S. manufacturing and provide good jobs to thousands of Americans.”

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No Contract, So Detroit Three And UAW Extend Talks

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By Bill Visnic September 15, 2011

Current four-year labor contracts with the United Auto Workers union expired as Thursday began, but each of the Detroit Three automakers and the UAW agreed to extend the contracts as the union and Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and the Chrysler Group LLC separately negotiate a new agreement. The UAW said it planned to make a new contract with GM the “pattern”, and seek to craft similar agreements at Ford and Chrysler. But as the Sept. 14 deadline passed, the union had not finalized an agreement. In a statement today, GM said only that the company and the UAW “have agreed to extend discussions as they work to craft an agreement that meets the needs of employees and the company.”

Negotiations with GM would resume today, the company said, but there has been little detail from any of the parties on how far the talks have progressed. At the Frankfurt auto show on Wednesday, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told reporters the company is not near reaching an agreement with the UAW, which represents a combined 113,000 workers at the three Detroit-based automakers. Ford also was offering no details about the progress of its contract negotiations, although a union official indicated an agreement with Ford would not be the one used as the pattern for contracts with GM and Chrysler.

One likely issue is whether the union can win a hike in the so-called “second-tier” wage structure it agreed to in the current work rules. The structure allows the companies to pay newly-hired workers a significantly lower starting wage – about $14 per hour – than is earned by veteran UAW members. The two-tier wage structure was an unprecedented accommodation to help the struggling Detroit automakers at a time when all three were in financial distress, but the union is believed to be seeking an increase in the entry-tier wage, particularly now that the automakers have firmed their balance sheets and drastically restructured their operations.

Reports indicate, however, that the union also is seeking large per-worker bonuses for signing the new contract, a signal that, for now, the UAW might be willing to forestall an increase in hourly wages to allow the automakers more time to recover. Reports have indicated the UAW may be seeking bonuses of as much as $10,000 per worker and a system of performance-based incentives that structure bonuses in accordance with the company’s profitability. The government-negotiated bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler included a provision that prevents the UAW from striking the two automakers if a labor agreement can’t be reached. If the UAW, GM and Chrysler cannot ratify a new four-year labor contract, the parties must accept a contract formed in binding arbitration, negating a UAW-directed work stoppage, the traditional option if the union and an automaker cannot agree on terms of a new contract.

Bill Visnic:  is an Edmunds' AutoObserver.com Senior Editor.

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