UAW Members Strike Against GM
From the Washington Post:
DETROIT, Sept. 24 -- The United Auto Workers called a national strike against General Motors shortly before noon Monday and thousands of workers walked off their jobs at plants around the country, even as the two sides continued to work toward a new contract.
It marked the first national autoworker walkout since 1976 and comes at a critical time for a U.S. auto industry facing surging competition from foreign automakers such as Toyota, which ended GM's 76-year reign as the world's largest automaker earlier this year.
"This is nothing that we wanted. Nobody wins in a strike," UAW president Ron Gettelfinger said during a news conference Monday at Solidarity Hall, the UAW's Detroit headquarters. "But there comes a time when you have to draw a line in the sand."Talks continued Monday afternoon, and it is unclear how far apart the two sides are. At stake are several issues, including job security for union workers as well as a commitment from GM to continue to build vehicles in the United States rather than seeking cheaper labor overseas.
GM has more than 73,000 U.S. union workers. UAW members began leaving work and raising picket signs around General Motors plants across the country as talks with the company failed to produce a new labor contract by an 11 a.m. Monday deadline...click to continue.
