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U.S. NEWSWednesday 30 September
Votes this week will decide fate of Fiat Chrysler-UAW deal
DETROIT (AP) — The next The UAW, which represents Protestors picket outside UAW Solidarity House in Detroit against pects to get more from
two days will be critical about 40,000 Fiat Chrysler the provisions of a tentative contract agreement reached with GM and Ford, which are
in deciding the fate of a workers, reached a tenta- Fiat Chrysler. The next two days will be critical in deciding the more profitable than FCA.
new four-year contract be- tive agreement with the fate of a new four-year contract between Fiat Chrysler and the Voting is difficult to track
tween Fiat Chrysler and the company two weeks ago UAW. because plant-level union
United Auto Workers. that includes pay raises, officials usually release only
In early voting, workers at the potential for increased (David Coates/The Detroit News via AP) percentages of votes for
several factories rejected profit sharing and a $3,000 and against the contract.
the deal, but those at a signing bonus. But the rais- the bargaining table with der extensions of their old At the company’s engine
pickup truck plant in War- es don’t bring an end to Fiat Chrysler, also known as contract, which expired plant in Trenton, Michigan,
ren, Michigan, voted in fa- a two-tier wage structure FCA US LLC, or it could shift on Sept. 14. Usually the first south of Detroit, 80 per-
vor. that pays workers hired be- bargaining to either Ford deal reached serves as a cent of production work-
UAW leaders are still hop- fore 2007 more money. The or General Motors. It could basic template for the other ers voted against the deal
ing that the contract will contract also allows the also go on strike. Work- two companies, although last week. Mike McCarthy,
pass at large factories in company to shift some car ers at all three companies UAW President Dennis Wil- a machine operator, said
Belvidere, Illinois; Sterling production to low-wage have stayed on the job un- liams made it clear he ex- the contract had good
Heights, Michigan; and To- Mexico, replacing it with points, but he voted “no”
ledo, Ohio. Results should new trucks and SUVs that because it didn’t give the
be tallied Wednesday or carry higher price tags to lower-tier workers a path to
Thursday at the plants, cover higher U.S. wages. reaching the top wage of
which together employ If the deal is rejected, the $28.50 per hour. Although
more than 12,000 workers. union could go back to he is paid at the higher
hourly rate, McCarthy said
there “wasn’t any light
at the end of the tunnel”
for the second-tier work-
ers. “We need to be more
equal. It’s got to be a fairer
deal.” q
Forming a coalition:
Major companies push for LGBT rights globally
KEN SWEET crimination or harassment. gies, Coca-Cola, Desti-
AP Business Writer “They deserve a fair chance nation Weddings Travel
NEW YORK (AP) — A doz- to earn a living and provide Group, Google, IBM, Micro-
en corporations, includ- for their families no matter soft, home furnishings mak-
ing Google Inc., Microsoft where they live,” said HRC er Mitchell Gold + Bob Wil-
Corp., and Coca-Cola Co., President Chad Griffin. liams, consumer products
are joining a new coalition Corporate America has giant Procter & Gamble
to push for LGBT rights in the been cited as a force in the Co., china and glassware
workplace in places be- push for gay rights in the company Replacements
yond the U.S. and Western U.S., with some companies Ltd., and Symantec Corp.
Europe. offering LGBT protections HRC officials expect the
The organization is partly and same-sex partner ben- group’s members to grow.
a response to the recent efits going back decades. “We have long supported
setbacks for gay, lesbian, Hundreds of companies LGBT rights,
bisexual and transgender signed statements advo- but it is very difficult to im-
rights in countries like Rus- cating for same-sex mar- plement protections for our
sia, Uganda and the Mid- riage when the issue to the employees and for their
dle East. The Human Rights Supreme Court earlier this families when laws do not
Campaign-led group will year. exist or it’s a hostile environ-
push for protections in the The coalition members are: ment,” said Mary Snapp,
workplace globally, includ- the consulting firm Accen- corporate vice president
ing in countries where LGBT ture, AT&T Inc., software and deputy general coun-
individuals face legal dis- company CA Technolo- sel at Microsoft.q
