GM Upgrades Flint Plant: UAW Looks For New Jobs
FLINT (WWJ) - As GM and the UAW gear up from new contract talks, the company is announcing new investments, and the union is trying to find ways to get more people back to work.
"I'm pleased to announce that GM plans to invest $238 million at Flint Assembly," said Cathy Clegg, GM vice president of Labor Relations, during a late morning ceremony at the plant. "This is a move that will create or retain about 150 new jobs."
This is part of a nationwide series of investments from GM, that the company says total more than two billion dollars, and create or retain 4 thousand jobs.
But, as the UAW prepares for negotiations with GM, the union is looking to come out of the talks with more investments, and more jobs.
"The vast majority of members want jobs, and they want job security," said Joe Ashton, the UAW vice president who will lead the team that negotiates with General Motors. "They never want to go through what we had to go through in 2009 where they faced bankruptcy and they faced plant closings."
The union will begin talks on Monday, July 25th, starting with Chrysler. They'll be at GM on Wednesday and Ford on Thursday.
GM's Cathy Clegg says the company and the union share the same goals, a competitive General Motors, with workers who are rewarded for their efforts.
"Of course we want our employees to enjoy and share in our success, absolutely," Clegg told reporters after the event. "We all know, though, that there are things that we can't do, to go back to how we were."
GM's near death experience will hang over this year's contract talks. Ashton says the UAW wants a healthy industry that creates jobs.
"You saw what happened to the auto industry, and we're starting to get jobs back," he said. "That's not only the most important thing for us. Look at the community of Flint. They need jobs. They need work. Like many other communities in this nation."
Flint assembly has been adding jobs recently, bringing back 750 workers to staff a third shift, scheduled to start operations next month. Workers say they've seen the impact on the community, with more business at stores and restaurants.
"Everybody who works here makes good money," said Kenneth Harrison, who's worked for General Motors for 45 years. "Where does the money go? Back to the economy in this area."
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