Union at Saturn set to vote on details of new contract
Back in December, UAW Local 1853 members approved by a margin of more than nine to one a new contract that left the door open for more negotiations. Those details hammered out over the last few months are expected to bring the Saturn workers under the umbrella agreement reached by the major automakers in September.
Sue Rehmus, plant spokeswoman, said she wouldn’t discuss the details until UAW members have a chance to vote on the contract. The UAW would not comment either.
A vote on the contract was tentatively scheduled for Sunday.
When Saturn first came to Spring Hill, about 30 miles south of Nashville, it was promoted as a new and different kind of car company. Workers forfeited higher wages for protection from layoffs and more input into company decisions.
But GM now wants a labor agreement at Saturn more like the one found in the rest of the company.
In September 2003, the International UAW and the big three American automakers, reached an agreement in which the UAW gave up wage increases for nearly cost-free health care.
In exchange, the automakers were reported to have gained flexibility to close or sell plants.
Other changes have been made to align Saturn with the rest of GM, including plans to share parts and manufacturing capabilities.
The Saturn plant in Spring Hill makes the Ion compact and Vue sport utility vehicle.
Mike Bennett, who acted as both UAW president and bargaining chairman before retiring in 1999, said the current negotiations show Saturn is leaving its roots.
“This actually returns it to exactly what people, in fact, tried to get away from when they came here beginning in 1989, ’90, ’91 and on,” he said.
Management’s right to lay off workers is another issue raised by the change from a local agreement to national agreement.
“It’s my understanding that management wants to reduce one crew by the end of the year. That’s about 1,500 people,” Bennett said. “Their car sales do not match their production. They’ve got three crews; they could actually produce enough cars with two crews.”
Where the Saturn agreement would limit layoffs to 20 percent of the work force, the national agreement contains no layoff cap, Bennett said.
“The Saturn agreement was an agreement that required the union and the company to come to some consensus on it, and this will change all that,” he said.
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Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.columbiadailyherald.com