BY TONI GORTON
DETROIT - As 1,800 members of United Auto Workers Local 51 head into their third week on strike against the third largest U.S. automaker, talks between the union and Chrysler remain deadlocked. So far the strike by the engine plant workers has shut down 19 plants and brought the number of Chrysler workers idled by the labor dispute to nearly 25,000 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico - about one-third of Chrysler's U.S. workforce.

This is the first walkout at a Chrysler plant in three years and the longest strike in more than three decades. UAW Local 51 is the only union local in the United States that hasn't reached an agreement with Chrysler. Although the company supposedly had "generally amicable" relations with the union, both sides have met only briefly since the strike began April 9. The strike is costing $16 million a day in lost profits. It's apparent Chrysler is willing to take a strike.

At issue is Chrysler's plan to "outsource" some operations to a nonunion plant. The striking local has called a rally for May 2, and is asking other UAW locals to participate.

Meanwhile, the strike by 5,900 UAW Local 594 members at GM's big truck and assembly complex in nearby Pontiac, Michigan, has entered its second week. The union is demanding that GM hire 600 more assembly workers to fulfill commitments made by the company as part of a 1995 strike settlement.

As in other recent strikes against GM this year, understaffing and workers being denied vacations and rest breaks are the key issues. Workers in auto parts plants that supply GM, such as American Axle & Manufacturing, are getting overtime cut and have been warned that layoffs will start if the Pontiac strike goes for another two weeks.

Morale is high on the 17 picket lines surrounding the truck plant. "Tell [GM Chairman] Jack Smith that if he wants a contract that makes business sense," said Robert Combs, a production line worker at the Pontiac plant, "he should start by cutting his own wages 90 percent. Five GM execs got $18 million between them. GM's got lots of profits and no sharing. They should try a day on the assembly line and see if they can handle it."

A GM spokesman argued that the company is "seeking a local agreement that addresses the needs of our employees while giving GM the flexibility we need to improve our competitiveness in the global marketplace."

Auto workers also remain on the picket lines in Oklahoma City. Some 3,500 members of UAW Local 1999 have now been out against GM for almost a month. The union is demanding that GM hire 500 additional workers to staff the car plant. Workers there have experienced a big increase in the number of injuries. The strike has cost GM more than $150 million. So far little progress has been made toward a settlement. The Oklahoma City strike has halted the production of GM's Chevrolet Malibu and Oldsmobile Cutlass, just as the spring selling season gets under way. There continues to be talk of more UAW strikes if progress is not made in the current disputes.

Toni Gorton is a member of UAW Local 235 in Detroit.  
 
 
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