UAW Reopens Talks with GM on Skilled Trades Pact

The United Auto Workers union has reopened contract talks with General Motors Co. on issues that prompted the union’s skilled trades members to reject the proposed four-year deal.

UAW President Dennis Williams did not say what those issues are. But under the union’s constitution, the tentative agreement can be revisited only to resolve issues unique to skilled trades workers.

Sources tell Automotive News the skilled trades objections include consolidating worker classifications and being excluded from a $60,000 retirement buyout offered to certain production workers. The sources say UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada, who heads the union’s GM department, believes many of the objections could be worked out at the local level.

GM has 52,600 hourly union workers in the U.S., including about 8,000 in the skilled trades. The contract was approved by 58% of production workers but only 41% of the skilled trades. Overall, 55% of the two groups accepted the deal.

Analysts say the UAW has never encountered a split vote on a GM contract before. They note the union has limited clout, because a majority of its members has already approved the agreement. The union and GM have agreed to extend their 2011 contract to Nov. 20 as the new talks continue.