GM to idle Wentzville due to parts shortage
A labor strike at a key auto supplier has finally forced General Motors Corp. to temporarily idle its assembly plant in Wentzville.
Workers there will stop building full-size vans later today due to a parts shortage, which already has shut down six GM plants around the country.
About 2,400 people work at the Wentzville plant, which assembles the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana full-size vans.
GM spokesman Tom Wickham said the Wentzville plant would remain idled for the duration of the strike at Detroit-based parts supplier American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. It supplies drive line components for GM pickups, sport0utility vehicles and full-size vans.
Because of the strike, GM said four more plants will shut down Monday.
The United Auto Workers union struck American Axle on Feb. 26. Negotiations between the UAW and supplier resumed today, American Axle said on its website.
The Wentzville plant only has enough driveline parts to keep the assembly partially running today, and it runs out of those parts during the second shift tonight.
About 350 maintenance workers will continue to report to work at the plant. Some workers also will work Friday, producing parts such things as bumpers, said Bill Schiltz, chairman for UAW Local 2250, the union that represents the workers. Other workers will use the downtime Friday for training programs in the plant.
The number of Wentzville workers who will be laid off temporarily while the plant is idled was not available. Workers are scheduled to meet today to find out about how they would be paid during the shutdown, but officials had no further details about workers’ compensation.
While expressing empathy for American Axle’s workers, Schiltz said he hopes a resolution is reached before customers feel the affect of the work stoppage. “Right now we have a vehicle that’s selling and we don’t want to lose business,” he said. “If you’ve got a loyal customer, they’ll wait. If its a new person, they might say forget GM.”
TELL SEAN BALLANCE I’LL TAKE CARE OF HIS WIFE WHILE HE IS OUT OF WORK
The real issue is that the economy cannot support paying people the wages and benefits that autoworkers make. If the American cars could compete with the imports and sell at the price needed to pay the union employees what they currently make, there wouldn’t be a problem. The US auto industry is in the situation it is because they didn’t scale back union wages gradually as the market became more competitive. It’s even more ridiculous that they have created a situation where employees get paid a very large chunk of their regular pay while the plants are idle. Who wouldn’t want to sit home and get paid most of their salary? At most companies, when supply exceeds demand, employees get laid off or terminated so that the company can still make a profit and continue to operate and pay the remaining employees. Companies need to make a profit - they aren’t intended to act as welfare.
15 to 20 years ago, the labor movement was told that we were the ones dragging down the “economy” with our living (i.e. middle class) wages and benefits. Now, with the percentage of unionized workers at an all time low, we are being told the same thing. Sorry, but it just doesn’t add up. Is it any wonder that healthcare is a national issue in this election and it was one of the benefits that unions fought for from their beginning? Bottom line is that as unions are weakened so are the benefits and wages of non-union workers (do your homework before you argue this point as I have a barage of facts to support it). You can certainly envy my wages and benefits (sill middle class but sinking to your non-union level) but when you are non-union, you are an island in the cesspool of “corporate america”. Trust the corporation, they will take really good care of you (see Enron and others).
As of last Friday, I became a former autoworker. It took 12 years for me to realize that I wasn’t a union man. The last contract only enriched the union aristocracy. They sold us out to get control of the pension’s (VEBA). Nobody from my seniority date (October 1995) will make 30 years.
Oh - and by the way Sally, “if Amereican cars could compete with imports….” is not going to happen until we compete on wages with China, Korea, and whatever country is willing to allow abusive labor practices and wages. Drive that import car with the satisfaction that you are supporting the lowest wage possible. I hope you never have to compete to clean my house because there are plenty of illegal immigants willing to work for a fraction of what you might ask. Or I hope that your child or children all become college educated and never need a “unskilled” job. The only difference is that the illegal immigrants are here and the import autoworkers are “over there”. Same concept, I want the lowest cost and I don’t give a damn about where I get it. Look for the “Made In China” label.
amen to eric
from my own limited experience in unions, especially where im at now, all being in the union gets me is legally pickpocketed, and theyre the ones stealing from me
the union reps at my job always want to talk about whats contractual instead of hearing legitimate concerns and getting an improvement for us
most of the time the shop stewards i have encountered only want to make these easy on themselves and protect themselves and not make waves
I’m sure Sally is satisfied that her import car won’t break down before it’s paid off. It’s amazing how abused, low paid workers are still able to manufacture a superior product to what this country offers.