DEARBORN, Mich. — Leaders of the United Automobile Workers union said on Wednesday that a slight majority of workers at Ford Motor Company have so far voted against a proposed new labor agreement.þþThe tight results mean the deciding votes are in the hands of workers at three large assembly plants in Michigan and Illinois that begin voting on Thursday.þþU.A.W. officials are urging those workers to support the four-year tentative agreement, and avoid a defeat that would force the union to go back to the bargaining table with Ford.þþJimmy Settles, the union’s lead negotiator with Ford, said at a news briefing on Wednesday that about 75 percent of the company’s 52,000 factory workers had voted so far. Of that number, about 52 percent voted against the agreement, he said.þþ“We’re optimistic,” Mr. Settles said at the briefing at the union hall outside Ford’s huge Rouge assembly plant. “It looks dark now, but it might be light in the morning.”þþA defeat at Ford would be the second setback for the union leadership in the current labor talks involving all three Detroit automakers.þþLast month, results from voting at Fiat Chrysler showed that workers had voted down a proposed contract that did not go far enough in closing the gap in wages between entry-level employees and veteran workers.þþAfter the defeat, the U.A.W. resumed bargaining with Fiat Chrysler and ultimately won better terms with the company. The revised contract called for raises for every union member and eventual wage parity for newer employees and longtime workers.þþFiat Chrysler workers then voted to accept the deal, which set the template for contract terms that were subsequently approved by a majority of union workers at General Motors.þþThe contract at G.M., however, has been the subject of further negotiations to address opposition in the ranks of skilled-trades workers.þþUnder union rules, both production workers and skilled-trades employees must approve the contract separately.þþThe union has extended its current contract with G.M. while the skilled-trades discussions take place. That extension is set to expire on Friday.þþIndustry analysts had expected the vote at Ford to go smoother than negotiations at G.M. and Fiat Chrysler.þþFord, for example, had agreed to an $8,500 signing bonus for all workers in its proposed contract, compared to bonuses of $8,000 at G.M. and up to $4,000 at Fiat Chrysler.þþThe proposed Ford contract also included provisions for $9 billion in new investment in its American plants, and the anticipated hiring of an additional 8,500 workers over the life of the agreement.þþBut workers at several big Ford assembly plants have rejected the deal in voting that began last week.þþComments on social media by Ford workers revealed dissatisfaction with the length of time it will take some new workers to achieve parity with veteran employees who earn about $29 an hour.þþMr. Settles said on Wednesday that workers who voted against the deal were assuming that the union could easily resume bargaining with Ford and get an improved agreement.þþ“Some people think you just go open door No. 2 and see if something is behind there,” he said. “That’s not how real negotiations go.”þþHe added that Ford could cut back on plant investments if it has to sweeten economic terms to get a new deal approved.þþThe three plants yet to vote are in Dearborn and Flat Rock, Mich., and Chicago.þþBernie Ricke, president of U.A.W. Local 600, which represents workers at the Dearborn plant, said he had held 14 informational meetings with union members to build support for the contract.þþ“If we thought there was another dollar on the table we would have got it in the first one,” he said.
Source: NY Times
