Union applauds U.S. auto deal to end two-tier wages
The union representing Detroit Three autoworkers in Canada is applauding what it hopes marks the beginning of the end of two-tier wages in the U.S. auto industry.
Thats absolutely fantastic, Unifor national president Jerry Dias said Tuesday upon hearing that a tentative contract between the UAW and auto supplier Lear Corp., will get rid of a wage structure that puts new hires on a permanent lower pay scale.
The implications for both the 2015 Detroit Three-UAW contract talks as well as those with Canadian autoworkers in 2016 are huge, said Dias. Weve been under tremendous pressure from the Big Three to go down the same road as the UAW, and weve been adamantly opposed to it. If the UAW resolves that issue once and for all, that takes tremendous pressure off of us. We are hoping this is symbolic for what is going to happen in 2015.
UAW local 2335, which represents 760 workers at a seat plant in Hammond, Ind., reached the tentative agreement with Lear on the weekend following two months of negotiations and a one-day strike. The plant supplies seats to Fords Chicago assembly plant, which builds the Explorer SUV as well as Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS sedans.
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/business/union-applauds-u-s-auto-deal-to-end-two-tier-wages