Labor Briefing

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“UAW Wins Changes to Hated FCA Alternative Work Schedule.” But this tempting appetizer was followed contract increases the signing bonus for Top Tier by a thousand dollars while Tier 2 gets nothing additional.

with Fiat Chrysler includes ‘significant alternative payouts to Tier 2; now, in this regard, they will be equal. Even if all goes as projected, in eight years Tier 2 will still be second-class members of Unequal Auto tive agreement, reached Tuesday, would pay workers more for Saturday shifts and prevent workers from nal estimated the $25 goal for Tier 2 in the first TA of the eight-hour day, regular shifts and regular days off, much less exhaustion and safety concerns. There ed to the next contract, the new deal should leave that Wing temp share of all work hours from four to eight percent. This would get Chrysler close to nonunion bor costs are somewhat lower than GM and Ford and close to the biggest non-union transplant, Toyota. To auto industry was nearly 100 percent unionized in the relief of both UAW president Dennis Williams and the UAW. UAW membership peaked at 1.5 million management warned there wasn’t any more money bers is about 390,000, along with more than 600,000 ers granted Chrysler the ability to double temp usage care co-op covering all employees of the Big Three. ments negotiated by the UAW. Membership at Big to help offset the cost of ballyhooed raises for Tier 2 This ill-advised proposal, vaguely mentioned in the Three plants has dropped 42 percent in just the last first deal, would be a sort of super-VEBA, like the one Sized. A substantial number of today’s UAW members approved contract, new temp workers will start at derstandably made many members nervous. Except are outside the auto industry. For example, I pay dues less than $16 and top out at $19.28 an hour. (The national average wage of private-sector production for a new emergency-room co-pay, current health workers is currently $21.08.) They also lose profit tomation, outsourcing, and offshoring. But perhaps sharing that they would have received in the rejected six percent co-pay of sure-to-rise medical expenses. a bigger factor has been the game-changing rise of And the much better benefits enjoyed by the Top Tier Asian and European-owned “transplants” building cars, SUVs, and light trucks in the USA—and taking these workers will have a longer wait for regular Tier dillac plan”—mandated by Obama’s Affordable Care nearly half the share of U.S. production away from the 2 openings. There was similar chiseling on wage rates Act. The UAW should be working with those unionists Big Three. Counting parts suppliers and transplants, for some MOPAR and Axle workers. These givebacks the auto industry still employs 900,000 workers. The pay Fiat Chrysler today for promised gains for some style health care instead of constantly sacrificing been all about jobs. Saving jobs was the rationale for led to the launching of the CIO United Auto Workers go on a hiring spree, adding about 15,000 workers in was the 1934 Toledo Auto-Lite strike. It took place the last few years. That’s coming to a halt. The union at a time of mass unemployment. Class lines were summary of the new contract projects adding 2959 quickly and indelibly drawn, and the whole city chose mula of annual three percent productivity raises jobs at some plants over the next four years while coupled with COLA made UAW members the highest eliminating 2856 at others. That means a whopping 103 new jobs are expected. There has been no change in plans to move Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 work ployed League, and thousands stood with the union under the ratified contract—their first boost in a decade—and two four-percent lump-sum payments tion of the National Guard. Two strikers were killed, that don’t get folded into the wage rate. Inflation was since the introduction of temp workers to cover dozens injured, and many arrested before victory one factor in the 21 percent decline in real wages in peaks of short-term absences and individual vacation the auto industry in the last available comparison of days on Mondays, Fridays, and weekends. The temps currently start at $17 an hour and can earn up to $22. cause they saw the union as a broad social movement They have truncated health benefits, pay union dues, ledo example was a precursor to the later solidarity ferent shifts of four 10-hour straight-time days. Not generated by the Flint sit-downs and other battles used by GM or Ford, this mean-spirited work change kilometer. Not included in the highlight summary of that transformed the auto industry from low-wage was solely devised to get 20 hours a day production the TA provided to the ranks was a substantial new concession to the company—allowing management SOCIALIST ACTION NOVEMBER 2015 9 • Socialist Action members in Min­ neapolis write: “On Saturday, Oct. 10, over 400 enthusiastic participants joined a rally and march on U.S. bank in Northeast Minneapolis. U.S. Bank has actively lobbied against fair wages and treatment for workers and simultane­ ously financed dirty industries.

“The concurrent exploitation of work­ ers and the earth is bringing together previously separate struggles into broad coalition efforts. Minneapolis Works, the organization that put to­ gether this march consists of seven different unions, plus a variety of com­ munity organizations and the environ­ mental umbrella coalition MN 350.org.

“Minneapolis Works is trying to pass a city ordinance that will guarantee sick time and safe time; protect against wage theft, require fair minimum hours and reliable scheduling, and provide a $15/hour minimum wage.

“Speakers pointed out that US Bank claims to be green, all the while fund­ ing the dirtiest energy projects like Tar Sands, Enbridge, and fracked gas pipe­ lines. The bank also pretends there’s no money to pay workers more, but it paid $240 million for naming rights to the new Vikings Football Stadium.

... Chrysler pact (continued from page 3: “Special sub offer for new readers!”)

The rejected deal provided bigger profit-sharing Workers.

Still, a $10 raise, even so spread out, looked attrac­ tive to many making $19 or less. The Wall Street Jour­ would have increased Chrysler labor costs 10 per­ cent. Since most of the $4 improvement is back-load­ 10 percent pretty much intact. Currently, Chrysler la­ Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, that won’t change much.

Deleted from the approved TA is any mention of Dennis Williams’ pipe-dream of establishing a healththat UAW pensioners got stuck with in 2007. This un­ benefits remain unchanged.

But unchanged isn’t so great for Tier 2, who have a are threatened with a steep tax on their so-called “Ca­ in the Labor Campaign for Single-Payer for Canadianwages to feed the private insurance robber barons— who are the only winners in “ObamaCare.” What workers don’t receive There’s no reinstatement of the Cost of Living Ad­ justment (COLA), pioneered by the UAW, that pro­ tects wages from inflation. For many years, the for­ paid workers in manufacturing.

Top Tier workers will get two three-percent raises 2003-2013.

A very big issue for affected workers is the Alterna­ tive Work Schedule, requiring rotation through dif­ without paying overtime rates. Most workers consid­ “The very diverse crowd included young and old, immigrants from many countries—Ethiopia, Somalia, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Cam­ bodia, Liberia—in addition to longer term residents of all races. Our person­ al sentiment, which was shared by ev­ eryone we spoke with, was that it was truly inspiring to see all the different people and groups coming together to fight our common enemy. No more di­ vide and conquer!”

• An AP dispatch from Seattle re­ ports, “After protests and questions Her it exhausting and unhealthy and hate the disrup­ tion it causes to family and social life.

by pretty thin soup:

work schedule changes,’ designed to quell discon­ tent among workers over the schedules. The tenta­ being scheduled on consecutive Fridays.”

was nothing more in the ratified contract.

And what about jobs?

in 1979. Today the number of active working mem­ retirees who receive pensions and health-care pay­ decade. Only 15 percent of parts-makers are union­ to UAW Local 1981—the National Writers Union. UAW has failed to organize any transplant start-ups.

giveback bargaining. to Mexico—where wages are about 20% of Tier 2. and are first in line for regular entry-level openings.

(Above) December 2014 fast-food protest in Minneapolis.

about whether the University of Wash­ ington would be required to follow Seattle’s $15 minimum wage law, the university has decided to boost pay for all affected workers. After raising all campus wages to at least $11 an hour in April, UW announced Monday it would increase its minimum wage to $13 in January and $15 at the begin­ ning of 2017. “This decision applies to all workers The Sept. 18 Detroit Free Press ran a story titled “The UAW says its new [first] tentative agreement That hardly addresses the complaints about the loss From World War II to the 1970s the American Toyota.

workers.

Much of the membership loss has been due to au­ first TA.

The UAW strategy since the 1980s has purportedly Lessons from history Chrysler took advantage of unrestricted Tier 2 to sides.

Full-time adequate staffing has also been eroded was achieved.

Once given an inch, the bosses always try to take a on campus, including students, and follows the law’s rules for large em­ ployers. The new wage agreement will affect about 5500 people, including 3500 student workers. The university estimates the cost for raising all work­ ers to at least $13 an hour in 2016 will be $3.2 million. Students disrupted an April regents meeting, demand­ ing higher wages. The university an­ nounced a few days later that it was in­ creasing the minimum pay for student workers to $11 an hour.” • From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, “Teachers unions are strong, but in St. Paul, muscle is being flexed in new ways. Rather than simply work on be­ half of candidates, the St. Paul Federa­ tion of Teachers teamed with parents this year to coordinate and bankroll a Caucus for Change movement that challenged incumbents and lifted four political newcomers to prized DFL Party endorsements. Now, con­ tract talks are underway between the teachers and the school district, and as candidates enter the final weeks of the election, the union could soon find itself with maximum leverage: a new majority on the seven-member board already endorsing its contract pur­ suits.” (continued on page 10, in “Ontario Public Service deal is bad news”)

Cops attack Toledo Autolite strikers in 1934. to use temps every day, with the potential of increas­ After the rejection of the first TA, both union and available for improvements. Clearly, union bargain­ But that’s not all they gave away. Under the newly And the doubling of temp share of work means workers eight years down the road. It is a fresh re­ enactment of the parable of lions being led by asses.

A key historical turning point in the movement that Instead of scabbing, most jobless workers followed the lead of the socialist-led Lucas County Unem­ in defiance of court injunctions and even a mobiliza­ The Toledo unemployed made such sacrifices be­ that benefited the working class as a whole. The To­ (continued on page 10, in “Ontario Public Service deal is bad news”)

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website: http://socialistaction.ca across the 12 signatory countries millions of dollars in higher prices for medical drugs indispensable to good health and well being.