Autoworkers deserve reward, UAW exec says

[TonyV]

Last Updated: May 12. 2010 1:00AM .

Autoworkers deserve reward, UAW exec says
Treat union members fairly after industry rebounds, VP says
Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News
Detroit -- United Auto Workers members made sacrifices to keep the domestic auto industry alive and should be rewarded when it bounces back, UAW Vice President Bob King said Tuesday.

Union members agreed to give up between $7,000 and $30,000 a year in wages and benefits during the past decade, said King, who is endorsed by the union's executive board to be the UAW's next president.

Carmaker and suppliers' "profitability is going to be astronomical" if the market continues to rebound and return to 16 million units in annual sales, he told a group of auto executives and analysts at a conference in the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit facility.



"We wanted to make sure in that turnaround, our members are treated fairly," said King.

King is expected to succeed retiring President Ron Gettelfinger at the union's convention in mid-June.

King, the vice president who deals with Ford Motor Co., was vague on if Ford workers would agree not to strike in a new contract -- a concession made by UAW members at General Motors and Chrysler. The pact expires next year.

King also said the union has filed grievances against Ford for giving some managers merit and bonus pay. "A portion" of those issues will be resolved shortly, he said. King criticized Toyota for moving work out of the United States and back to Japan and other nations.

[TonyV]

Posted: 2:38 p.m. May 11, 2010
Incoming UAW chief: In rebound, automakers should reward union
BY BRENT SNAVELY
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Bob King, the likely future president of the UAW, said union members have made tremendous sacrifices in recent years to help save the domestic automakers and the companies should be prepared to reward union members as the industry recovers.


"There was equality of sacrifice, there has got to be equality of gain," said King, a UAW vice president who is the union’s nominee to be elected president at a constitutional convention in June.


That includes Ford, King said, where the union has filed grievances with the company over its decision to restore merit pay, 401(k) contributions and other benefits to salaried workers but not hourly workers.


“That’s wrong. Our membership made tremendous sacrifices and we had an understanding about equality of sacrifice,” King said.


King said the UAW and Ford are close to resolving part of the union’s dispute over but may take other aspects of their complaints into arbitration.


King, 63, made his comments following a speech Tuesday at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s automotive conference in Detroit titled, “A new role for labor? Partner and owner.”


Throughout his speech, King said the union has proved in recent years that it is capable of adapting to new challenges in the automotive industry and working with the domestic automakers to help them through times of crisis.


In 2007, for example, the union agreed to take over the responsibility of managing retiree health care from the automakers.


King also said the average UAW worker has sacrificed between $7,000 and $30,000 in pay and benefits over the past 10 years.


“We did a tremendous amount of things to keep the corporations viable,” King said.


However, King stopped short of saying that the UAW will be looking to win back wage and benefit concessions when its four-year labor contract with the UAW expires in September, 2011.


“The economic situation at that time will have a huge impact on what we set,” King said.

[ScottR@KTP]

I hope he remembers this speech during contract negotiations. We need our annual raise back in the worst way...along with cola and tuition monies.

[marcus]

Sounds kinda good for us.