>> TODAY’S DAY 14 OF THE UAW-GM STRIKE.
STRIKE. LET’S TALK ABOUT IT, AND GUYS,
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
WHERE DO WE STAND, JOHN?
>> WHO KNOWS RIGHT NOW, JASON.
I THOUGHT WE WERE GETTING CLOSE
TO SOME SORT OF SETTLEMENT.
FRIDAY NIGHT THEY WENT TO LIKE
2:00 IN THE MORNING.
IT LOOKS LIKE THEY’VE KNOCKED
OFF EARLIER IN THE LAST DAY OR
SO.
SO. AND WHEN THEY GO LATE IN THE
MORNING, THAT’S WHEN YOU KNOW
THEY’RE GETTING DOWN TO THE
NITTY-GRITTY.
NITTY-GRITTY. SO, IT LOOKED LIKE SOMETHING WAS
GOING TO HAPPEN.
OH, MAYBE BACKING OFF A BIT.
>> YEAH, THE CALL I GOT LAST
NIGHT WAS AROUND 7:30, 8:00 THEY
WERE BREAKING AND THEY SHOULD BE
BACK AT THE TABLE AS WE ARE
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF IT THE WAY
IT’S GONE SO FAR?
>> THEY’RE BACK AT THE TABLE
THIS MORNING.
THIS MORNING. THEY’RE AT LOGGERHEADS ON
TEMPORARY WORKERS, ON HEALTH
CARE
CARE CARE.
CARE. GM AT ONE POINT, IT SEEMED LIKE
GM HAD RELENTED ON HOW MUCH
WORKERS WOULD HAVE TO PAY ON
THEIR HEALTH CARE, AND NOW
THEY’RE ASKING FOR MORE AGAIN.
THE RANK AND FILE FEELS REALLY
STRONGLY ABOUT DOING SOMETHING
FOR TEMPORARY WORKERS AND GM
FEELS REALLY STRONGLY ABOUT
NEEDING THAT FLEXIBILITY AND
COST SAVINGS.
COST SAVINGS. >> THAT SEEMS TO BE ONE OF THE
BIGGER ONES.
BIGGER ONES. WHEN THE HEALTH CARE CUR --
KURFUFFLE, WAS THAT--
>> I THINK THAT IS POSITIONING,
NOBODY WAS LOSE TO LOSE HEALTH
CARE ON THAT.
LIKE JOHN WHEN GM RELENTED, OH,
THIS MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT BRA
EXTHE LOG JAMA A LITTLE BIT AND
THE UNION WAS UNIMPRESSED.
>> DO THEY NEED TO HAVE ONE BIG
ISSUE TO BREAK TO DO THE REST?
IT SEEMS THEY ARE REALLY TIED UP
HERE.
HERE. >> JASON, WE GO THROUGH THIS
EVERY FOUR YEARS, IT USED TO BE
THREE YEARS, BUT FOUR YEARS.
IT’S GOING RIGHT ALONG TO
SCHEDULE IN TERMS OF HOW THIS
ALWAYS GOES.
ALWAYS GOES. I COULD BE WRONG, IT COULD GO ON
A LOT LONGER, BUT, LOOK, WHEN WE
SEE SEPTEMBER SALES, WHICH
WE’LL SEE EARLY NEXT WEEK, OR
EARLY THIS WEEK, THEY’RE GOING
TO BE DOWN SUBSTANTIALLY.
IT LOOKS LIKE IT’S ENTIRELY
POSSIBLE T WHOLE U.S. MARKET
COULD BE SLOWING DOWN.
WE COULD BE GOING INTO A TOUGH
PERIOD ESPECIALLY WITH THE MOVE
TO ELECTRIC CARS AND AUTONOMOUS
CARS.
CARS. A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE
FUTURE FOR BETTER WE GET THIS
SOLVED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
>> WE FORGET THAT THIS STRIKE
AFFECTS JOBS DOWN THE LINE,
FAMILIES IN OTHER--
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. LOOK, THOUSANDS OF WORKERS AT
SUPPLIER COMPANIES HAVE BEEN
LAID OFF AS GM HAS SHUT DOWN.
SO YOU’VE GOT TO TAKE INTO
CONSIDERATION THAT THIS STRIKE
IS HURTING A LOT OF INNOCENT
BYSTANDERS WHO DON’T GET ANY
KIND OF STRIKE PAY OR ANYTHING
LIKE THAT.
LIKE THAT. THEY’RE JUST GETTING LAID OFF.
THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE GOING
TO LOSE AT LEAST TWO WEEKS’ PAY.
>> COULD THIS--
HOW LONG DO YOU THINK THIS COULD
GO NOW, RANDY, NOW THAT STRIKE
PAY HAS KICKED IN?
>> WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
HAPPENED IS THE UAW LEADERSHIP
HAS TO COME UP WITH A PLAN THAT
THEY CAN SUBMIT THAT JUST LOOKS
GOOD ON ITS FACE.
THEY DON’T HAVE THE CREDIBILITY
WITH THE CORRECTIONUPTION
INVESTIGATION TO TRY TO SELL
SOMETHING TO THE WORKERS.
IN FACT, WE’VE BEEN TOLD THAT
THAT’S PART OF WHAT’S SLOWING IT
DOWN IS THAT THEY HAVE TO--
THEY HAVE TO SHOW SOMETHING THAT
THE WORKERS LOOK AT IT AND SAY,
WE CAN RATIFY THIS.
>> JUST TO JUMP IN ON THAT, ONE
OF THE REASONS WHY THESE
NEGOTIATIONS ARE GOING SLOWER IS
IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS, IF YOU
WILL, WHEN THEY GOT DOWN TO THE
NITTY-GRITTY, VERY CLOSE TO AN
AGREEMENT, THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNION COULD GO IN A ROOM WITH
THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF LABOR
RELATIONS, THEY SHUT THE DOOR,
HAMMER IT OUT AND GO TO THE
MEMBERSHIP WITH IT.
NOW BECAUSE OF THE CORRUPTION
CHARGES THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
EVERYBODY HAS TO BE IN THE ROOM
TO GO BACK TO THEIR LOCAL SO
THEY CAN SAY, LOOK, I WAS THERE
WHEN THIS WAS NEGOTIATED SO THE
RANK AND FILE WILL BELIEVE THEIR
LEADERSHIP.
LEADERSHIP. >> BY THE WAY, WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THAT, OBVIOUSLY, THAT’S THE BIG
DIFFERENCE THIS TIME AROUND.
THEY HAVE THIS CLOUD OVER THEIR
HEAD, AT LEAST FOR THE UNION,
BUT NOW THAT WE’RE
POST-BANKRUPTCY AND
POST-BANKRUPTCY AND POST-BAILOUT.
POST-BAILOUT. WHAT’S DIFFERENCE THAN YEARS
PAST?
PAST? >> YOU NAILED IT.
THEY’RE UNDER A CLOUD OF
SUSPICION
SUSPICION SUSPICION.
SUSPICION. YOU SEE THE FORMER PRESIDENT’S
HOME RAIDED AND WE’VE NEVER SEEN
THAT WITH THE UAW.
GLOBALLY THEY’RE SLOWING DOWN
FAST.
FAST. YOU HAVE TO WONDER HOW LONG FOR
THE U.S.
THE U.S. AND THERE’S A MOVE TO
ELECTRIFICATION.
ELECTRIFICATION. ANYBODY WHO WORKS IN POWERTRAIN,
YOU MAKE PISTONS AND CYLINDERS,
ELECTRIC CARS DON’T USE ANY OF
IT.
IT. I BELIEVE WE’VE GOT A DECADE
BEFORE THIS IS GOING TO HIT
HOME.
HOME. THERE’S AT LEAST 30,000 JOBS AT
THREAT WITH THAT.
WHEN YOU ASK WHAT’S DIFFERENT,
THERE’S THE CORRUPTION AND THIS
VERY UNCERTAIN FUTURE.
>> DOES IT SEEM MORE ACRIMONIOUS
THIS TIME AROUND?
>> IT’S BITTER IN SOME WAYS.
A LOT OF WORKERS HAVE BEEN HIRED
SINCE THE RECESSION AND THEY
HAVEN’T BEEN THROUGH SOMETHING
LIKE THIS.
LIKE THIS. THEY FEEL THAT THE UNION GAVE
AND WE HAVEN’T GOTTEN IT BACK.
HE THINK THE AREA OF POTENTIAL
BREAKTHROUGH IS IN THE TEMP
WORKERS.
WORKERS. THERE ARE PEOPLE HIRED AT LOWER
WAGES WHO DON’T HAVE A PATH TO
PERMANENT EMPLOYMENT.
PERMANENT EMPLOYMENT. THEY’RE DOING ESSENTIALLY THE
SAME JOBS AS THE PERMANENT
WORKERS, AND THE UNION FEELS
VERY STRONGLY THAT THERE SHOULD
BE SOME EQUALIZATION THERE, AND
YOU KNOW, CAN GM COME UP WITH A
WAY THAT TEMP WORKERS CAN GET
INTO THE--
INTO THE-- BECOME PERMANENT WORKERS?
CAN THAT BE GM’S SORT OF
CONCESSION?
CONCESSION? AND THAT’S WHERE WE FIND SOME
MIDDLE GROUND BECAUSE BOTH SIDES
ARE FIRM ON THAT.
>> YOU’D THINK YOU’D FIND SOME
MIDDLE GROUND IN HEALTH CARE
COSTS.
COSTS. AND WORKERS NOW PAY 3%.
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN WORKER PAYS
ABOUT 28% AND THEY CAN’T FIND
ANY MIDDLE GROUND THERE.
>> NO, THEY CAN’T.
THIS IS WHERE THE LEADERSHIP OF
THE CAR COMPANIES WANT SOMEBODY
LIKE A BERNIE SANDERS TO WIN
COME IN WITH ONE PAYER MEDICARE
FOR ALL THING AND THE UNION
LOSES HEALTH CARE BENEFITS.
>> QUICK FINAL THOUGHT, RANDY.
WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING THIS
WEEK?
WEEK? >> I HOPE THEY GET CLOSER FOR FB
EVERYBODY’S SAKE, FOR THE
MICHIGAN ECONOMY, FOR THE THOSE
LAID OFF AND THE WORKERS ON
STRIKE IT REALLY NEEDS TO MOVE
FORWARD.
FORWARD. >> GUYS, THANKS FOR BEING HERE
AND APPRECIATE THE UPDATE.
WE HOPE THAT IS THE CASE AND
WE’LL TALK ABOUT A GREAT DETROIT
TRADITION AT ONE OF THE CITY’S