The chances of an early labour agreement at Delphi don’t look too good following reported comments of a key union leader.
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“I don’t know that there is a timeline or a time frame,” United Auto Workers president Ron Gettelfinger told the Associated Press (AP) after speaking at a Detroit Regional Chamber conference. He reportedly described the talks as “under way and ongoing” but wouldn’t elaborate.
AP noted that GM’s disclosure in a 24 May filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that it had received proposals from Delphi and the UAW that “provide a basis for continuing productive negotiations” had prompted several industry analysts to say those were signs a settlement could be near after more than a year of tough bargaining in which Delphi sought lower labour costs to better match competitors.
But Gettelfinger reportedly offered no hint a settlement was close.
“It’s sort of hard every time you turn around when they’re getting obscene bonuses … supposedly managing a company that they claim is in the ground,” he was quoted as saying. “That’s created a lot of difficulty for our membership. But we are continuing to try to work through the problems.”
A Delphi spokesman said only that the company is continuing efforts to reach an agreement with unions, GM and Delphi investors, the Associated Press added.
