Ford workers assembling the 2012 Focus.
The United Auto Workers Union is tallying up strike votes at Ford Motor Co. plants around the country as contract negotiations between the union and domestic automakers move towards the mid-September deadline.
The UAW is in the midst of talks with all three of the Detroit automakers, but Ford is the only one the union is legally able to strike due to strictures placed by the federal government in the multi-billion-dollar bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler following their 2009 bankruptcies.
There are clearly some tough issues on the table — especially the unpopular two-tier wage structure that has been rapidly expanded since the industry’s near-collapse. Nonetheless, both sides are trying to downplay the possibility of a confrontation.
“Talks with Ford are progressing and we are ahead of schedule. We will be taking routine strike authorization votes through September 2nd. This is a normal part of negotiations and something we have done historically as part of bargaining,” Jimmy Settles, the head of the UAW’s Ford Department.
So far, the substance of the negotiations has been kept under wraps at all three companies by common agreement with the union and little information is expected to leak out prior to the Sept. 14 deadline.
Meanwhile, the UAW’s top leadership, starting with UAW president Bob King, have clearly communicated they consider use of the strike unnecessary in this year’s negotiations.
In addition, history may be working against the union. Over the decades, the UAW has insisted on so-called pattern bargaining, with basically identical contracts at all three automakers. Unless Ford is targeted first as talks get down to the deadline, it would be very difficult for the union to pressure Ford with any kind of work stoppage.
The strike votes, nonetheless, give union bargaining committees the authority to call a walkout more or less at their discretion. A key decision will come next month when the union has to actually prepare for a strike ahead of the September deadline.
King has emphasized that the union is looking for “creative solutions,” and an amicable settlement that bolsters the competitive position of the domestic manufacturers rather than confrontation.
Nevertheless, stresses have begun to show within the union ranks over the sensitive issue of two-tier wages. The long-taboo system means that many of the newest workers hired in on Detroit assembly lines are earning about half the wages and benefits of veteran autoworkers.
Jerry Tucker, a former member of the UAW executive board, said recent protests over the two-tier wages indicate the union’s leadership faces serious challenges from disenchanted members. “On its face this represents a numerically small protest but the issue runs deep in the workplaces,” he said in an e-mail.
Though barred from striking, workers at GM and Chrysler aren’t without persuasive options. Some union activists have discussed the possibility of rejecting any contract that maintains the two-tier system, which would force bargainers back to the table.
“For GM and Chrysler workers the issue is not whether they can strike or not at this time. The determination is to reject two-tier and other ‘wage-slave’ propositions. By turning down any tentative agreement it can lead to multi-layers of worker resistance in the workplace without the benefit of a full-blown shutdown,” Tucker said.
Gary Walkowicz, Bargaining Committeeman at Ford’s Dearborn Truck PlantLocal 600, said a strike is still possible if Ford, GM and Chrysler resist union efforts to reverse the concessions by the union. King has estimated the average union member has given up almost $30,000 in wages and benefits over the past four years.
“It is very clear that if we want to get back even part of the concessions, then we have to be prepared to fight for it. That’s why we just can’t treat this strike vote as a formality. We have to discuss seriously the possibility of a strike and whether we are ready to do it,” Walkowicz said.