General Motors has released an official statement online after officially entering negotiations with the UAW earlier this week.
The UAW’s contracts with GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler are set to expire on September 14, with the union hoping to ratify a new agreement with the Detroit Big Three before that time.
Discussions surrounding GM deal will take place at the automaker’s world headquarters at the Renaissance Center in Detroit.
“We look forward to having productive discussions about building a stronger future for our employees and our business,” GM CEO Mary Barra said in a statement. “Our employees play a critical role in our success, and I am very excited about the opportunities in front of us that will enable GM and the UAW to lead in the transformation of the auto industry.”
GM’s chief negotiator for the UAW talks, Scott Sandefur, said the automaker is looking forward to “working together with the UAW to reach a competitive agreement – one that allows our company, our employees and the communities where we do business to continue to share in the success of our efforts.”
In a statement made earlier in the week Barra brought up the automaker’s desire to be first to deliver a self-driving car to market and to make more electric vehicles, saying success in these areas could lead to more UAW positions going forward.
“What’s at stake and the opportunity for whoever gets it right is absolutely huge,” she said. “It represents growth, and that means jobs.”
GM is looking to cut healthcare costs with the new UAW contract and may seek to implement more temporary workers in the future as a result. All of the Big Three are also expected to stand their ground on issues such as wage increases and new product allocation for their respective US vehicle plants, which may lead to strikes. The UAW seems prepared to strike, as well, having increased its strike pay from $200 per week to $250 per week earlier this year.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more UAW news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
What a crock. This comes from a CEO who recently threw 15,000 people out of a job. The only place where GM is creating jobs is China, India, and Mexico. Acording to her words FCA must really be hitting it out of the park because they are actually adding jobs.
At Barra’s GM, the fantasy of self driving cars and the delusion of somehow being a leader in EVs comes at the expense of quality and desirability of the current line up. The loss in market share proves it.
That silly b**ch should try working a day in her life. We need to STRIKE! FCA tied up in scandals and bribes, GM created this dumb tier system, get rid of these executives who are ABSOLUTELY USELESS to the success of this company. Managerial positions need to be cut by 30-40%, it’s just WASTED capital which the company could be using to better its workforce and improve.
After the bankruptcy, a GM lifer should never been made CEO, especially one that was bred under incompetents like Roger Smith. Barra was made a celebrity CEO because she broke a glass ceiling which would be OK if positive things were accomplished. The only thing she accomplished was appeasing Wall Street analysts, coming out with mediocre product, and putting the company at odds with the government and the workforce- not a winning combination moving forward. Unfortunately Barra puts herself ahead of the company.
If UAW wants more cars built in America .. it’s EASY … just cut their pay in HALF (from $60/ to $30/hr).
Who here would accept a stable job @$30/hr ???
Who is making $60/hr?? I swear to God if you tier 1s complain I’m going to make you guys retire early. No sense in having some 50+ year old in the auto industry, seriously you guys are just a burden on productivity, retire already…
Dude!!!! WTF!!! $60hr my ass. Traditional and tier employees do not get that. Nor do Tier employees get a pension. All their retirement is in a 401k. And if I remember its CEOs like this that help and aid in folks losing 401ks. Stock crash much?
No UAW represented employee makes anywhere near $60hr. In fact, traditional employees are under $30 at FCA and more then half the workforce makes less then $19hr. Salary UAW represented employees have an even bigger pay difference and are being hired in, with degrees, for less then a dollar more then hourly workers.
Hymn burden at 50 huh I watch 20 something’s cry ? there eyes ? out trying to do my job GM operates at extreme efficiency I know because I do it you really need to do some of these jobs then throw your comments in
Any idiot that thinks UAW workers make $60hr is just that, an idiot. The 60 is an all in figure when you account for healthcare cost, pension and 401K that is matched. Educate yourself before you post something stupid.
This country is going to Hell!These guys do not make $60hr their total benefit package including Healthcare,Pension ect maybe worth $60 but they do not get that in there paychecks!This younger generations better think about bringing back Unions because until they do and people start sticking together these corporations are going to keep on screwing the working man til they can not afford to live!
Witness the way Machete Mary blamed the unions for overcapacity issues in the US and Canada that were of her and her incompetent teams’ making. Of course it did not help that by the time she and her cronies had an epiphany last November that sedans were not selling ( a fact FCA got 4 years ago and retooled plants accordingly) all the defacto replacements for Cruze, Impala, Verano, La Crosse, etc, were sourced from Korea, China and Mexico leaving US and Canada workers hanging. I do not know if this was by design or sheer incompetence, but it is a slap in the face to US and Canada. The UAW better stand strong this summer in getting new product for DHAM and Lordstown as well as additional product for plants running on fumes like Orion or this carnage will continue over the next four years.
With the pay cuts in the past contract GM is getting their money towards Healthcare. Just because there isn’t a line that says Healthcare and an amount next to it out of employees pay checks doesn’t mean that GM isn’t getting their money in a roundabout way. GM needs to start caring about their employees.