American Axle workers get details of contract (base pay cut $9.50 per hour)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. workers on Sunday learned details of a tentative contract that could settle an 11-week strike by the United Auto Workers union.

Workers gathered at a high school to hear information about Friday's agreement. Afterward, a UAW local president said General Motors Corp. was key in reaching the deal, kicking in an extra $18 million on Friday to get the agreement in addition to $200 million that it already had offered to pay.

A summary of the contract distributed by the union included base pay of $18.50 per hour for Detroit workers. That's a cut from $28 per hour for production workers, but better than the $17 per hour the auto parts supplier had been offering.

The summary also said there is a $5,000 bonus for signing the contract. And buyouts being offered include $85,000 for someone with less than 10 years with the company and $140,000 for a worker with more.


Read more: http://money.excite.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d90o6sig0&

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On the Net:

American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc.: http://www.aam.com

United Auto Workers: http://www.uaw.org

[lligrd]

1. Ouch nt

[Faygo Kid]

2. George Bush's America: And people say he's a failed president!

Wages cut, perpetual war, gas at $4 a gallon, millions without health care and the most explosive growth in billionaires in our history.

He has achieved all of his goals, as this article reflects, except for destroying Social Security. And he's not done yet. At the very least, he will attack Iran. And that is the least of what he has in store for us.

[Bozita]

3. A lot of those workers are gonna lose their homes.

Full-time job, half-time paycheck.

[aquart]

4. Hope they live near the job. And farm their yards.

[Pharlo]

5. No kidding. $18.50 an hour and

$10.00 of that is probably allocated to health insurance and/or pension - if they have a pension.

[cstanleytech]

10. Well its better than what I get and even my brother

who is a produce manager for a large grocery chain does not even come close to 18 bucks an hour.

[saigon68]

11. The Bright side is

Tramps are finding it more difficult to get an abortion </SARCASM> I'll bet some of these "workers" will vote for McLame because of that

and Just wait until McLame's racist campaign kicks in

[Bozita]

12. So this AAM deal is acceptable to you because the reduced pay would still be higher than yours?

[cstanleytech]

15. Ummm, yeah it is acceptable to me but only because

it could have been a hell of alot worse for them in varies ways, they could have all lost their jobs for example.

[Omaha Steve]

13. Got a boss?

You need a union! Union workers average about one third better pay and benefits than their non-union counter parts.



Items below are clickable links: http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/why/uniondifference/index.cfm

The Union Difference
Home > Join A Union > Why You Need a Union > The Union Difference

Get the facts on why

* Unions Raise Wages—Especially for Minorities and Women
* Union Pay Is Higher in Nearly All Occupational Groups
* Unions Workers Have Better Health Care and Pensions
* Workers’ Incomes Are Lower in States Where Workers Don’t Have Union Rights
* Unions Are Good for Business, Productivity, and the Economy
* Unions Help Bring Low-Wage Workers Out of Poverty
* Unions Help Bring Workers Into the Middle Class

Learn more about

* Unions and Professional Workers
* Union Membership by State
* Union Membership by Industry
* Trends in Union Membership

More

* Download a one-page flier of the “Union Advantage by the Numbers.”
* How much difference does a union make? Download a quiz and find out!
* Unions 101, a one-page “crash course” on unions.

[Delphinus]

6. That's not good.

Can't believe the UAW will go for it. I hope many can take the buyouts.

[TwixVoy]

9. Buyouts are just like the stimulus checks

Good for awhile, then what?

The people who take the buyouts could very likely be looking at $8/hr jobs afterwards some place else. If they own a home and have a family, how the hell are they going to keep up with the bills after the "buyout" is spent?

[cornermouse]

7. The CEO needs a raise...

[Azazel]

8. The company is using the threat of outsourcing

to get concessions from their own workers. I'll bet this has already been done elsewhere. I'll bet it's a trend. If it works, trade unionism in this country is dead.

[happygoluckytoyou]

14. REAGANOMIC UNION BUSTING AT ITS BEST...GOP=CHEAP LABOR....

AND THATS THE FACT, JACK!

[michreject]

20. Union busting

Is buying non union made import cars and trucks and taking the moral high ground.:mad:

[Psephos]

16. How many of the indignant posters in this thread actually drive a car built with AA products?

Cuz UAW workers need your dollars way more than your internet postings if they're going to have a job in the future.

Meanwhile, the amount of anti-US-made car smearing I see on this site blows my mind. It's not enough to forsake US-made cars at purchase time, but it's become fashionable and cred-building on DU to propagandize against them, too. Neither I nor the UAW sees that as very progressive.

[AndyTiedye]

17. Ford Escape Hybrid

The Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner are essentially the same vehicle, built in the same Kansas City factory.
All three are available either as regular gas vehicles or hybrids.

The hybrid model is the cleanest-running and most fuel-efficient SUV on the US market.

Union-made in the USA.

[Psephos]

18. Nice! n/t

[knitter4democracy]

23. Both Ford cars in this family.

I had a Subaru that sucked, so when it's tranny went, we got a Ford Freestyle that I love. It's an amazing car, and Hubby's Taurus is still doing really well with only one more payment left.

My brother used to work at Ford. He was in R&D, and they paid for his second master's at MIT. It's a good company overall.

[entanglement]

19. UAW's 15178th betrayal of workers...with "unions" like these, who needs Management?

[joeglow3]

21. Did they have any other option?

What is the alternative? Go out of business? Personally, all I have bought and will ever buy, are GM cars. However, I see MANY MANY people here blast GM and state they will only buy other foreign made cars. Well, you can't complain when pay is cut and then still refuse to buy the car. I would be pissed if GM were making billions and cutting pay. However, objectively speaking, it appears there is NO WAY they can continue the existing wages and not go under.

[DS1]

22. 18.50 is not a bad starting rate

You shouldn't be buying a house at that rate, however. Unless it's a really small starter.