General Motors is being accused of violating its contract with the United Auto Workers (UAW) by utilizing its white-collar workforce on the production line at Wentzville Assembly.
An aerial view of GM Wentzville
According to The Detroit Free Press, GM has relocated some of its salaried white-collar workers to Wentzville Assembly to help compensate for the high rate of worker absenteeism it has seen at the factory. In a statement, GM spokesman Jim Cain said the “team on the ground in Wentzville is trying to navigate a very difficult situation to keep the plant operating, while accommodating employees who are not showing up to work,” due to concerns over contracting COVID-19.
While GM says bringing it salaried workers is a necessity if it wishes to replenish its supply of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups, the UAW says this practice violates a clause in its 2019 labor contract with GM. The clause states that “supervisory employees shall not be permitted to perform work on any hourly-rated job,” except in “emergencies arising out of unforeseen circumstances which call for immediate action to avoid interruption of operations,” or “in the instruction or training of employees, including demonstrating the proper method to accomplish the task assigned.”
GM said previously that it would cut the third shift at Wentzville Assembly, as it was unable to fill all the positions on the shift amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It then announced it would keep the third shift and 200 hire new workers to staff it, but as hiring and training workers will take time, GM has elected to use its salaried workforce as a stop-gap.
“We’ve been relying on these salaried volunteers to help us continue to operate and hopefully we’ll see reduced absenteeism,” Cain told the Free Press.
Many of the salaried employees on the line at Wentzville work in the manufacturing or product side of the business, so they are at least somewhat familiar with a vehicle assembly line and how they operate, Cain said. These could include quality and/or manufacturing engineers or other similar positions. That said, the automaker says it still provides them with the proper training to do the job properly and safely.
The UAW has filed a grievance over the practice, though GM has not yet responded, with Cain saying there is a process for reviewing and processing such complaints. The Detroit Free Press indicates these complaints are typically filed at the local level to see if they can be resolved before finding their way to GM in Detroit.
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Comments
So…the UAW is mad that their union workers aren’t returning to work, so GM shuffled people to make up for their slack? The UAW can go stuff it. If those jobs need to get filled, the UAW should get off their A$$ and fill them.
Maybe if the “blue collar” work force was properly incentivized and/or compensated they would return to work in large numbers? I’m not quite sure why the Union is trying to file a grievance with GM, it’s almost like it should be the other way around.
Anyways, I find terms like blue collar and white collar are quite antiquated and divisive, hopefully the UAW and GM can come to an understanding that all jobs (design, engineering, production, logistics, marketing) are EQUALLY important to the investing, inventing, building, and selling of a vehicle. Sustainability of 21st century businesses, like GM, will only be reached when this universal truth is widely recognized.
I am sure the person with a masters or doctorate in engineering would love to see the guy putting on lug nuts on the line getting paid the same as he or she is.
There is no equality. Most line people can be replaced with anyone with an opposing thumb. Engineers, designers and even the scientific people GM has are a very difficult and competing segment to fill.
The only reason there is a line shortage is the limiting factor the Union holds over bringing in help when it is needed. They create their own demand.
This is why economic equality is a big lie. As you can see it worked so well in Russia as they are an industrial power house. In China they force people to work for nothing and live in dorms. Many change jobs just for better company food.
Socialism is the equal sharing of misery.
because the world that you carved out is really thriving, thanks for your input boomer. The United States is in a desperate need of socio-economic reform, unfortunately there are still a few anchors holding us back. The fact that you refuse to see the growing lower and upper classes while the middle class shrinks is straight up alarming. Meanwhile, the boomers just sleep on their savings like Smaug, thinking they have it all figured out because they can buy an RV or Boat. Straight up sad state of affairs in the world today. Any properly educated person should agree that further access to education and healthcare of a population can only create better outcomes.
Capitalism is, by its very nature, unsustainable.
“There is no equality. Most line people can be replaced with anyone with an opposing thumb. Engineers, designers and even the scientific people GM has are a very difficult and competing segment to fill.”
Exactly the thought process that I am so sick of hearing in this country. You should really think about how condescending and entitled you sound before you speak. Your thought processes are based off of flawed ideals that are hundreds of years old. The human race has, and will continue to evolve past your dated notions. Everything that comes out of your mouth is schismatic rhetoric.
The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.’
-Winston Churchill, House of Commons, 22 October 1945
You want to get ahead you improve your position in life. You get a education or a needed skill. You keep off drugs and don’t commit crimes. You then show up everyday to work and generally you get ahead.
There is a ton of opportunity out there any al, you have to do is get out there and grab it.
Will there be set backs yes will you face difficulty? Yes but you will overcome much of it.
Sorry but life does not give everyone trophy’s.
That is not condescending that Is the harsh reality.
In real life they keep score.
The United States is a country great opportunity. You get what you put in.
My father over came poverty. He overcame a broken home with an absent father. He overcame being paralyzed for 50 years, he over cane the lack of a collage degree and retired at a Fortune 500 company with 30 plus years working in their computer department help center. He served others in his church and did charity work teaching kid how to succeed in life.
He did this mostly before the disability acts and even did not have a special parking spot.
He never complained, he never blamed anyone else and he expected a hand out nor got one.
He taught me how to get ahead. I paid for my own collage and found my own jobs working my way up.
Sorry hack but no body owes you nothing but opportunity. The rest is up to you.
People think some people are just lucky. Well most of them put themselves in a position to succeed.
The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.’
-Winston Churchill, House of Commons, 22 October 1945
Still true today
Should have gone to a more organized “collage”
And your mother should chose to remain childless.
My issue is that some people are put in an inherently better or worse position to succeed. In the United States, and around the world, some people have greater access to opportunity than others. Not everyone is is necessarily even capable of “success” and they shouldn’t be penalized for that. I’m not saying people should get hand outs, but the time has come where basic needs like education and healthcare shouldn’t be reserved to the select few who can afford it.
As far as volunteering and serving others, that’s great that your father had the opportunity to give back his social capital in such a way, but that also illustrates the hypocrisy of our current system. Volunteering is great, but it is very rarely truly an altruistic gesture. Volunteers often do so that they can get a sense of person self-actualization and not solely for the benefit of those they are helping.
I never said anyone owed me anything, I’m just stating my opinion on the matter. If opportunity is what is owed however, the best way to give this gift is by offering top notch educations and healthcare, issues that go hand in hand. I like to envision a future where a higher education, like mastering a trade, isn’t just a way to make more money than your neighbor, but a way to gain personal fulfillment and self-actualization. Unfortunately, until that time people like you and I will be forced to continue our successes against one another, and not within ourselves. Really kind of a sad little existence.
I am a GM salary employee so i speak with firsthand knowledge. Not sure what you mean by if they were properly incentivized and compensated? UAW represented employees at GM have the highest hourly wage, probably the best benefits, and received the largest profit sharing bonuses in the industry. GM has been extremely flexible and generous with employees ( hourly and salary) during this pendemic. UAW represented employees received 100% of pay this entire time while plants were operating. This is an unprecedented period and UAW needs to conitue to work with and not against GM in trying to keep the lines running. If the lines are not running…no profits…no profits means fewer jobs all around. Salary employees don’t really want to work the line. This is temporary and should be viewed as a short term play untill the 200 new employees are hired and trained.
Were you ever a UAW member? If not, then you do not really have firsthand experience, you have observed second hand. When I say properly incentivized and compensated, I mean better pay and benefits, I thought that was obvious by the definition of those words. $20 an hour after 3 years of service really is not that much considering these are the people that make up the backbone of the private production industry in America.
Maybe in the long run some of these higher paid salaried employee may not be necessary for the long term success of GM, especially if they are just doing “work anyone can do” also their salary positions must not be that important if they can be put on the line with no one seeming to miss them.
The compensation is okay for some I guess, but does GM really need employees to flock back to work in massive numbers? Sales across almost all automakers, including GM, are down at least 30% from this time last year. Clearly people are not buying vehicles, so why such a big push to build them. If a vehicle is not available on the lot then people can wait. Seems like there are ample GM products available at my local dealers.
GMs UAW employees seem to be pretty freaking well compensated.
Taken from the Detroit Free Press – Sept 2019
Permanent UAW workers also have extremely low health care costs, paying about 3% of their care versus about 28% for the average U.S. worker.
Temporary workers’ wages: $15-$19 per hour.
A newly hired permanent production worker, called “in progression,” makes about $17 an hour, which can rise to $28 an hour after eight years.
A legacy worker, one hired before 2007, earns $28-$33 an hour.
A skilled trades worker such as an electrician, plumber or machine repairman, about 15% of the Detroit Three’s workforce, is closer to $35 to $36 an hour. They often earn overtime.
Profit sharing: Temps get nothing. North American permanent hourly workers get, generally, $1,000 per every $1 billion an automaker makes in annual pretax profit.
Temp workers pay more for health care for less coverage than permanent workers. They pay more out of pocket expenses, such as deductibles. They get no supplemental pay during layoffs and plant retooling. They get no retirement pay.
BTW: The average yearly salary is $90k
The average yearly salary of UAW member Is $90k? … umm I don’t think that can be correct. I’d love to see where you got that statistic. Even if that is correct, which I’m nearly 99% sure it is not, median salary figures more accurately represent pay for most workers because outliers earning millions throw average figures way off. The highest hourly wage you quoted here is $36 an hour, which equates to roughly 70k yearly salary.
As base salary you would be correct BUT most, if not all, plants are working OT. Some are working 7 days a week and have been for years. The average employee is vety easily hitting $100k. This is not to mention all the contractual time off they receive. None of the permanent employees ( hourly or salary) can complain about compensation.
I gave the source in my comment. Read for comprehension please.
I disagree with the comment that they (UAW members) are easily replaceable. We all have job to do and most do not want to do the others job. The UAW is protecting what they believe is a violation which is subject to debate. The language that was quoted works for both sides argument. The “emergency” is open to interpretation. I suspect part of the UAW challenge will be to show evidence that their members were negatively impacted by this. GM will need to show that they did everything possible to not use salary employees.
To your arguement of why the rush to build vehicle…its very simple. Profits. GM, like all the other automakers are in it to make money. Money that all their employees rely on. Also, this product isn’t selling better because we don’t have the right mix on the lots. Just like many other companies.
Lastly, UAW members are making more than $20/hr. If you believe that is underpaid for non skilled jobs then I assume you would be paying significantly more if you owned a business???
How is this not considered an “emergency arising out of unforeseen circumstances which call for immediate action to avoid interruption of operations”? No way a judge would side with the union based on that language in the contract. Ft Wayne did the same thing and I didn’t hear of any union issues there. I think it’s pretty clear they aren’t trying to displace any union workers with salary, in fact they saved some union jobs by keeping the 3rd shift running.
Absolutely right. This is totally ridiculous.
Come on UAW, work with GM to crank out as many vehicles as you possibly can to catch up from the inventory hole caused by the strike. Your members’ jobs depend on GM making money. To do that, they have to get vehicles to the dealerships to sell!
Thats exactly right. If the UAW doesn’t want to see salaried employees on the line then they need to get their membership to work.
It’s called, “Needs of the business”. The management guys don’t want to be in the line, either. Unions sometimes get in their own way.
A touchy subject indeed; COVID-19 has screwed up all facets of life. There are, of course, two sides to every issue, this one being no exception. Bargained-For Work to be performed only by union members is a primary tenet of any union, and union officials have no choice but to aggrieve management people doing such work.
The Company is, of course, doing all it can in order to get assembly lines back up and running, and it’s no doubt being made more difficult with workers becoming sick and/or not reporting for work because of fear of becoming sick.
There’s going to have to be some middle ground found in this, but it will, of course, require cooperation.
Has GM Starting building the new 2021 Escalade have seen some Tohoe and GMC versions but no Escalades yet. Any updates would be Great, Thanks, Kenny
I find it absurd that when a job filled by an insignificant, lowly worker is unfilled, the ENTIRE plant comes to a halt.
Funny how all these ‘managers’ are on the line actually working and No one is doing their jobs but the plant keeps running.
To those of you who have never actually worked on the line.
This really puts a light on what jobs are really important and what jobs are insignificant.
LMAO. You assume they are only doing assembly work. They are doing both jobs my friend. Further, it isn’t just a few union workers not showing up, it is 200 just at Wentzville alone.
Lol. What exactly is their other job if there are no employees to manage? This is a great time for many industries, including the auto industry, to trim the fat and eliminate unnecessary positions. Looking at you middle and upper management.
I will assure you that when they are on the line, they do not have time to do their ‘other’ job. They might stay after the shift to fake some paperwork. But not when the line is running.
This just proves that American people don’t necessarily need a Union. For some of the jobs can be done by anybody who wants too keep the business going, when the regular employees “DON’T FEEEL SAFE”!!!!!!!
The UAW needs to do their part and DESTROY America just like the knuckleheads are.
UAW just needs to man up and realize that dealers need autos to sell.