WISCREPORT.COM (9/24/07) - The United Auto Workers are picketing General Motors plants nationwide, including Wisconsin operations. The UAW announced that due to the failure of General Motors to address job security and other mandatory issues of bargaining, the union set a firm strike deadline for 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 24. The two sides did not come to agreement by the deadline.

GM employees in Janesville joined other UAW workers in the national work stoppage Monday. The Janesville plant employs 2600 hourly employees. The workers earn an average of 54,000 dollars a year from GM while on the job, compared to the $200 a week the strikers are getting from the UAW strike fund.

Families of the strikers and the Janesville area businesses that depend on income from those families will likely feel the pinch as the strike continues. However, workers, their families, and the national UAW management believe it was necessary to grab the attention of General Motors.

“We’re shocked and disappointed that General Motors has failed to recognize and appreciate what our membership has contributed during the past four years,” said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger.

“Since 2003 our members have made extraordinary efforts every time the company came to us with a problem: the corporate restructuring, the attrition plan, the Delphi bankruptcy, the 2005 health care agreement. In every case, our members went the extra mile to find reasonable solutions.

“Throughout this time period," said Gettelfinger, "it has been the dedication of UAW members that has helped GM set new standards for safety, quality and productivity in their manufacturing facilities. And in this current round of bargaining, we did everything possible to negotiate a new contract, including an unprecedented agreement to stay at the bargaining table nine days past the expiration of the previous agreement.”

“This is our reward: a complete failure by GM to address the reasonable needs and concerns of our members,” said UAW Vice President Cal Rapson, director of the union's GM Department. “Instead, in 2007 company executives continued to award themselves bonuses while demanding that our members accept a reduced standard of living.

“The company’s disregard for our members has forced our bargaining committee to take this course of action,” said Rapson. “Unless UAW members hear otherwise between now and the deadline, we will be on a national strike against GM at 11 a.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 24th.”

A General Motors spokesperson says the company is dissappointed that the union felt it needed to resort to the national strike against GM. It's the first national strike since the mid-70s.

WISCREPORT.COM - The United Auto Workers are picketing General Motors plants nationwide, including Wisconsin operations. The UAW announced that due to the failure of General Motors to address job security and other mandatory issues of bargaining, the union set a firm strike deadline for 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 24. The two sides did not come to agreement by the deadline.

“We’re shocked and disappointed that General Motors has failed to recognize and appreciate what our membership has contributed during the past four years,” said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger.

“Since 2003 our members have made extraordinary efforts every time the company came to us with a problem: the corporate restructuring, the attrition plan, the Delphi bankruptcy, the 2005 health care agreement. In every case, our members went the extra mile to find reasonable solutions.

“Throughout this time period," said Gettelfinger, "it has been the dedication of UAW members that has helped GM set new standards for safety, quality and productivity in their manufacturing facilities. And in this current round of bargaining, we did everything possible to negotiate a new contract, including an unprecedented agreement to stay at the bargaining table nine days past the expiration of the previous agreement.”

“This is our reward: a complete failure by GM to address the reasonable needs and concerns of our members,” said UAW Vice President Cal Rapson, director of the union's GM Department. “Instead, in 2007 company executives continued to award themselves bonuses while demanding that our members accept a reduced standard of living.

“The company’s disregard for our members has forced our bargaining committee to take this course of action,” said Rapson.

A General Motors spokesperson says the company is dissappointed that the union felt it needed to resort to the national strike against GM. It's the first national strike since the mid-70s.

A GM official statement says: "Bargaining involves complex, difficult issues that affect the job security of our U.S. work force and the long-term viability of the company. We are fully committed to working with the UAW to develop solutions together to address the competitive challenges facing General Motors. We will continue focusing our efforts on reaching an agreement as soon as possible."