UAW Celebrates GM Bankruptcy Anniversary Ahead Of Auto Worker Contract Negotiations
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It’s been 14 years since General Motors filed for bankruptcy following the 2008 financial crisis. Now, on the anniversary of this historic event, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union has released a statement ahead of auto worker contract negotiations.
“Fourteen years ago this week, General Motors filed for bankruptcy,” UAW Vice President Mike Booth said in a prepared statement. “It was a scary moment for the auto industry, for our country, and for auto workers everywhere. The federal government, the American taxpayer, and – more than anyone – the auto workers rallied to save the iconic company. Auto workers had their wages slashed, lost their retirement security, gave up their job security, had their cost-of-living adjustments suspended. We gave up so much to save this company. And it wasn’t just UAW members who took the hit – it was our families, our communities, and the whole middle class of this great nation.”
“In the 14 years since that moment, GM has fully bounced back,” Booth continued. “You know who hasn’t bounced back? The US autoworker. We still live with the two-tier wage and benefits system. We still don’t have cost-of-living adjustments in a time of historic inflation. We still suffer from plant closures and an uncertain future, even when business is booming. We’ve waited long enough. It’s time to make whole the auto workers who sacrificed to save this industry. That’s why we’re fighting for a fair contract at GM, Ford, and Stellantis in 2023.”
This charged statement comes as the UAW begins contract negotiations with the Big Three – which includes General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. The labor union points to high profits and executive compensations as justification for higher demands.
It’s worth noting that current UAW contracts are set to expire in September 2023.
As is evidenced in the aforementioned statement from UAW Vice President Booth, negotiations are expected to be rather heated as the labor union fights for increased wages and benefits while the Big Three hope to keep costs down during the transition to an electrified future. Notably, UAW leaders have threatened strikes to maintain leverage against the automakers.
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“GM has fully bounced back. You know who hasn’t bounced back? The US autoworker. We still live with the two-tier wage and benefits system. We still don’t have cost-of-living adjustments in a time of historic inflation.”
Yeah, one has to wonder if there is a connection. Perhaps they should see about setting off a new bankruptcy.
Idk, they still get paid better than us down here in the south. Part of the reason GM went bankrupt was the unions entitlement mentality and being overpaid. I went to school and got an engineering degree, yet I’m still paid less than the average UAW worker with a high school diploma, and I’m paid much better than your average pipe fitter/technician around here.
Y’all should be grateful for having some of the best paid jobs in the wealthiest country on earth. And let flint and Detroit be reminders that if you get too greedy, it can go to hell in a hand basket real soon.
You don’t know what the F you are talking about. Only those near retirement are doing well the vast majority of us don’t make anywhere near what they made in the past.
Stop being a cowardly boot licker, you’re not crying about Mary Barra’s compensation are you? Grow a pair sweetie and man up instead of talking trash about others!
WOW would Celebrate GM Bankruptcy too but unfortunate is still with us would celebrate the End of BMW too but they sell so much my dream can not be possible on the sack put also Volkswagen Audi Porsche Kia and Daimler too
Perhaps I’m missing it, but I don’t see anywhere in the statement where the UAW celebrated GM’s bankruptcy. The spokesperson noted the event and GM’s return from bankruptcy. Now he’s arguing union workers should get a slice of the economic pie in return. Whether valid or not is for people to decide. Maybe I’m exposed to more inflammatory stuff than the average person, but it doesn’t seem like much of a charged statement. Just normal political wrangling ahead of tough negotiations.
I think “recognize” would be a more appropriate word than “celebrate”
UAWwill bankrupt the auto indust.you want and see.there better think who buy there Junk.
I WONT BUY ONE taxpayer’s had to bail them out,they took no wage cut,but they want and want more.poor babies go cry.whenprople stop buying them very over priced vehicles ask yourselfwhy.
Okay will well wemember dat.
Autoworkers aren’t getting paid like they used to be. There are very few “old-timers” left getting the good pay, but the cost of cars today are ridiculously high. Just shows you that the cost of cars aren’t because of the workers.
I worked for GM for over 30 years
My pension never increased one cent from the day I started to the day I retired. 30 years without a pension increase. Now GM has abandoned pensions for new employees, tier wages and outright pay inequality !!
I’m disappointed that the UAW let the auto industries divide and destroy our jobs through outsourcing!! Will the pension fund ever be fully funded and increased. 30 years of patient waiting.
CEO pay has definitely gone up.
What used to be a routine criticism of CEOs (pay ratio of top brass vs. bottom-rung workers) is now ignored by those that used to complain about this because Mary The Infallible Female is running GM….
The double standard is glaring and ridiculous.
I got seniority in Jan 2016 make 25 an hour guy I work next to everyday got seniority in aug 2015 he makes 31.76 an hour that’s an issue our work ethic is equal I work as hard as he does he works as hard as I do but he makes $7 an hour more then I do because he got seniority 6 months before me oh and we went in as Temps a week apart. Fair?
Ive been a GMCH employee for 10yrs and only make $23/hr. We are considered GMCH employees even tho all the salaried bosses there are considered GM employees. We are expected to do everything the GM way but for GMCH pay.
So you only make $23 an hour! Whose fault is that ? get an education. The shareholders were wiped out but I don’t hear anyone helping them
You mean like those coding, design, and engineering jobs that are now moving to Mexico and India the same way manufacturing jobs were “offshored” the past 40 years?
That’s part of the game of investing. Good things happen, but so does bad.
You are an ignorant individual, you must be one who never does a physically demanding job.
I suppose you support student loan bail outs as well.
So stating reality is ignorant? You’re implying a lot from that. I can’t speak for the poster, but I agree with them and I do not support bail outs. I paid $70k of loans off on my own, all while making less than UAW workers, and we’ll less than 10 years. Im not bragging, i put in the work and supported a family, and climbed the ladder a few rungs.
Help comes to those who also help themselves.
You know you will be at 32.32 in September right?
Our plant is a disaster with the UAW here complain about everything the elected officials hide in their rooms with paper covering windows and get unlimited overtime and spread so much propaganda. It’s sick, and u wonder why the union overall is shrinking no one needs them.
To any of you who are negative about taxpayer money helping them out of bankruptcy.
You are ignorant, the banks were bailed out, you use them. Airlines were bailed out as well as Amtrak.”, you use them. Quit your narrow minded view and get real
What if we’re not ignorant and just think none of those things should have been bailed out?
GM especially. There are other car manufacturers, and the world would have gone on without them.
On the flip side, I’m sick of hearing people call them Government Motors when they paid back all the money they were asked to. Those people are ignorant.
The banks had to be bailed out or you would have had an economic catastrophe that would have made the Great Depression look like a picnic. You still would be feelin the ill effects today.
And show me a country that does not have a strong domestically owned industrial base and I will show you a country that is an also-ran. Unfortunately we’re becoming very close to that status now.
GM paid back every cent they got in the bail out
No. But they did pay back every cent they were expected to.
Early even.
Hopefully ignorant people like yourself lose their jobs next and then you might realize what others go through.
So we should bail out every company that fails, because someone will lose their job?
That isn’t sustainable.
Us workers at Ford saved Ford we did not go into bankruptcy,and we still waiting to get something back, management got back but hourly did not
Not to mention that the Japanese government has subsidized their automakers for decades. It would be considered a national disgrace for any large corporation in Japan to fail (when is the last time you heard of a Japenese corporation fail?) However in this country there were many who wished to bulldoze our entire American auto ondustry over a cliff.
Our UAW shop chairmen and his staff are as crooked as they come at FWA GM and HR allows it they look the other way on everything it’s really sad, there is no discipline at all local negotiations was a disaster management gave them everything they requested and more and it still took them 2 years to settle.
So you only make $23 an hour! Whose fault is that ? get an education. The shareholders were wiped out but I don’t hear anyone helping them
Your white-collar arrogance is repulsive, and that’s coming from Penn State white-collar guy.
You have absolutely no idea of his current and past situations, yet you think you do….and that’s textbook arrogance.
Our young peoplexwere told to get degrees in engineering and IT. Those jobs are now being offshored. All these young people now have is a pile of student loan debt while they are partaking in the “gig” economy.
Kids getting degrees in the “wrong” field is nothing new. Infact trades’ manpower needs are one of the greatest shortages right now. Make much more than on the line, get your apprenticeship and training paid for, but from the ground floor to management they cant understand why no young people want to take it up. Not saying it’s easy work, but I agree. The opportunities are there. Hell, if you need to relocate even. But no, it’s I should have a job where I want for how much I want.
I was told to get a degree when I was young, ended up essentially not using it after my second job. My first one out of college was for $11/hr degree required. Union no less. $70k student debt and I was making less than temps on the line at auto companies? Did I have a dream job that I could work the rest of my life? No, and I continued to look for opportunities till I moved into a position I liked and paid what I thought was worthwhile.
As jobs moving overseas, how do you expect companies to grow in other regions and diversify support and productivity in a global competition? It may seem like jobs are moving over seas, but there are still lots of shoes on the technical end to fill stateside. Knowledge gaps are starting to be recognized and will be filled eventually. IT is still very healthy in the states, though things are spreading out globally.
Did not mention the big profit sharing checks, I wonder why?
Some years back, American cars were the most reliable and best quality cars, but that ship sailed long ago. Why should a Toyota now be put together much better than a GM product? And why should a Japanese assembled Toyota be put together better than US assembled Toyota?
Any industry needs to attract good people to stay on top, so talent acquisition and retention is critical, and that is done in part with a competitive total compensation package.
But the workers then have to perform at a high level, take pride in their work, and unions don’t help facilitate that…we have similar poor quality in law enforcement and teaching fields due to poor compensation (that doesn’t attract the best) coupled with powerful unions (that keep the lowest performers working). Unions were critical when formed to protect factory workers from truly unsafe and inhumane conditions…with modern laws and workplace regulations, unions are now an outdated concept and should be gone.
Many other industries lost their pensions, including my own…UAW still doing better with benefits than many others. One real problem is that too many companies listened to consulting firms like McKinsey, and they cut out a lot of good perks in the name of expense reduction, and short-term shareholder value…i.e., greed at the board level. Now many of those same companies are now whining about not being able to find good people, and wondering why existing employees aren’t loyal as they force-feed everyone with expensive idealogical internal initiatives.
This country as a whole needs to readjust its mindset…the root causes of many of our problems are not hidden or difficult to figure out…they just aren’t being acknowledged. Everyone has something to whine about, but many never think about what they can do better.
Agreed, I’ve been to many a town hall and many of them seem to fit in “we need to stop finger pointing” then follows up later with finger pointing at the company that employs them.
It’s a bit disheartening to witness this from the outside and have to interact with both sides heavily.
God bless the UAW.
I thought communists didn’t believe in God?
I agree with what Jules said about shareholders. We got Jack-squat for our faith and investment in GM. The government praised them for their genius maneuver of going bankrupt one day and emerging the next day as the New GM. Then to add insult to injury, I received a postcard from GM thanking me for my many past purchases of GM vehicles and inviting me to visit my nearest showroom to view the ‘New GM’. Not a discount, not an apology, nothin but a 10 cent postcard.
I support the UAW, but I’ll never buy another new GM product.
Very unfair inflammatory heading followed by few facts.
I am ashamed of gmauthority for printing this. If no follow up ….I will be ending my viewing.
Worked as a electrician at Generous Motors for 31 years.The place has gone downhill,because of both the company and the union. The local union(774)only cares about their overtime.I could not get a $10 plastic piece to fix a machine, but GM is a multi billion dollar, international company with a CEO that makes 22 million dollars plus bonuses to look out at the Detroit River. God bless America. What a joke.
GM paid back loan early with interest. Did not see anything in this article about the massive union leadership corruption that happened last negotiations. Strike fund got pretty low during a period of very few strikes. GM will win when both sides realize they are competing against other manufacturers not each other – signed proud shareholder who was wiped out during bankruptcy
“We destroyed the auto industry like we destroyed any number of industries and then we pulled back a little bit on our $90k a year entry salary and additional $100k in benefits and saved the automotive industry… And now we’re going to kill it again…” Unions don’t work because communism doesn’t work.
Ryan you are truly lost. I worked 30 years doing assembly on the line. No time did I make $90.000.00 a year. A bunch were lean years mixed in with weeks of going home short of 40 hours pay in a week.
You pay big money to fly, hmmm no complaints on the airline industry. You bank? No complaints on taking out loans or using their services either.
Hypocrite!