GM Strike

The GM stike is due to the employees being afriad that their jobs may be sent to Asia. They want to be certain that their jobs are going to stay in the U.S.A. Many people thought that the 73,000 UAW members were striking over wages and health care benefits. The workers want to know that they will have a job in the years to come. The UAW members are asking the GM company to say that production of the Chevrolet Cobalt small car or still on the drawing board Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric car will be built in American plants. There has not been a strike at a GM plant for 37 years. The company has been restucturing to keep up with Asian automakers.

Ford Motor Company,is looking at doing another round of buyouts with the UAW. The UAW, is in a round of talks. They are suppose to be voting on a questionable contract with GM. The UAW has not resumed full-scale talks with Ford or Chrysler LLC, spokespeople say.

In one report, officials said Ford would probably offer early retirement and buyout offers in the talks.
In November 2006,38,000 hourly workers volunteered to take buyouts. The plant was in Dear-born. Ford had planned to reduce its hourly workers by 30,000 by 2008. That put Ford way ahead of its turn around goal.Approximately 27,000 workers left, before the first half of the year. Approximately 4,000 volunteers changed their minds and have decided to stay at their present job.

Chrysler LLC, saw the U.S. sales drop 5.4 percent in September. This is a comparison from last September at this time. Chrysler is having to temporarily shut down productions at some factories, according to spokespeople at the Detroit Free Press. The engine plant in Dundee, Michigan, Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, and a truck plant in Warren, Michigan, will all be closed for 1 week.Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Commander, and Dodge Rams are made in these plants. Production at the Toledo North Assembly Plant has been slowed. The new Jeep Liberty is assembled at this plant. Six more factories have no overtime scheduled.

Michelle Tinson of Chrysler links the shutdowns to "tough market conditions."