UAW STRIKE AT AMERICAN AXLE GM truck cuts may undercut UAW strike DETROIT — Deep cuts in light-truck production announced by General Motors on Monday have dealt a blow to striking UAW members at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. With the cuts, American Axle can produce almost all the North American axles it needs for GM for the rest of year at its Mexican axle plant in Guanajuato, said a source familiar with the strike negotiations. That …  story

GM posts $3.25 billion loss in Q1, stock rises
GMAC, Delphi and American Axle are costly problems
DETROIT — General Motors today lowered its 2008 sales estimate for the entire U.S. auto industry after it reported a net loss of $3.25 billion during the first quarter. The automaker posted a net loss of $42 million during the 2007 first quarter.
Slow U.S. vehicle sales, high fuel prices and a continued housing slump prompted GM to lower its projected U.S. industry sales from just over 16 …  story 

Strike’s toll on GM: 205,000 vehicles
Production to resume in Arlington, Texas, next week
DETROIT — The UAW’s 2-month-old strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. will cost General Motors production of 205,045 vehicles in North America by the end of the week.
More than 30 GM assembly and parts operations, along with numerous supplier plants, have been slowed or idled by the walkout, which began at five U.S. American Axle plants Feb. 26.
GM said today that the …  story 

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Despite a surprise profit of $100 million for the first quarter, Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that it still expects to lose money this year as the U.S. auto market deteriorates.

But the company’s stock surged nearly 12 percent as CEO Alan Mulally reiterated his promise that restructuring will return Ford to black ink for 2009.The profit, Ford’s first since the second quarter of last year, came even during a time when concerns about the U.S. economy kept many car buyers away from showrooms. Ford sales were off about 9 percent for the quarter, and the trend away from trucks and sport utility vehicles accelerated, hurting its bottom line.

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Protecting Benefits, Boosting Job Security are Top Priorities

April 23, 2008 ( original Article )

National Master Automobile Transporters Agreement talks resumed today, April 23, in Florence, Kentucky.

“Our goals continue to be protecting our members’ health, welfare and pension benefits, and increasing their job security,” said Fred Zuckerman, Carhaul Division Director.

The current contract, which covers about 9,000 workers, expires on May 31, 2008.

Talks this week are scheduled to run until Friday, April 25. Talks will continue May 18-31 in Arlington, Virginia.

Members Invited to Offer Ideas

April 17, 2008

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The Teamsters Carhaul Division has scheduled meetings at local unions where members are invited to offer input about the national contract negotiations that are under way.

“Earlier this week about 80 members turned out at Local 299 in Detroit and we received great input from the members, and we hope to get more guidance at the upcoming meetings,” said Fred Zuckerman, Director of the Teamsters Carhaul Division. “We invite all carhaul Teamsters to attend the meetings and help us determine what the contract priorities should be.”

The following meetings have been scheduled at these local unions:

• Toledo, Ohio, Local 20, 9 a.m. Saturday, April 26;

• Dayton, Ohio, Local 957, 3 p.m. Saturday, April 26;

• Fort Wayne, Indiana, Local 414, 9 a.m. Sunday, April 27;

• Louisville, Kentucky, Local 89, 2 p.m. Monday, April 28;

• Dallas, Texas, Local 745, noon Sunday, May 4, and

• Lansing, Michigan, Local 580, 7 a.m. Monday, May 12.

National contract talks resume April 23 in Florence, Kentucky.

DETROIT — The bitter labor stalemate between American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. and the UAW appears to be over, with significant progress taking place at the bargaining table.

A tentative contract agreement could be reached by this weekend, a source familiar with the discussions told Automotive News late Wednesday.

” They are very close,” the source said. ” They could reach an agreement by this weekend. Both sides have finally come to their senses.”

As with any protracted labor negotiation, there is no guarantee a deal can be reached, but this is the first sign of real progress in the dispute that has all but halted General Motors’ SUV production in the U.S.

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of Technically Recoverable Oil Assessed in North Dakota and Montana’s Bakken Formation—25 Times More Than 1995 Estimate—

Released: 4/10/2008 2:25:36 PM READ MORE

Reston, VA - North Dakota and Montana have an estimated 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in an area known as the Bakken Formation.

A U.S. Geological Survey assessment, released April 10, shows a 25-fold increase in the amount of oil that can be recovered compared to the agency’s 1995 estimate of 151 million barrels of oil.
Technically recoverable oil resources are those producible using currently available technology and industry practices. USGS is the only provider of publicly available estimates of undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas resources.

Sign the Petition to Unlock America’s Energy

 April 15, 2008

TEAMSTER.ORG

On Monday, April 14, carhaul Teamsters who belong to Local 299 in Detroit provided valuable input to union leaders who are negotiating the national contract, with many members agreeing that contract changes are needed to boost job security.

“This meeting at our largest carhaul local union was a good opportunity for members to let us know what’s on their minds,” said Fred Zuckerman, Director of the Teamsters Carhaul Division. “For example, the members recognize that we need to revise Article 48 so that the employers have a better chance to compete against the non-union companies. This in turn will give our members more job security and the chance to earn more money with backhauls and fuller loads.”

DETROIT — General Motors said today it will spend $200 million to build an engine and components plant in Joinville City, Brazil.
Production will begin in the fourth quarter of 2009. Once operating, the plant will employ 500 workers and generate 1,300 indirect jobs, GM said in a statement.
“The decision to build a new engine plant in Brazil is essential to our ability to expand vehicle …  story  

David Barkholz
and Robert Sherefkin
Automotive News
April 8, 2008 - 3:18 pm ET

General Motors is reopening two assembly plants this month with axles supplied from Mexico by American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc., sources have told Automotive News.

The 7-week-old UAW strike at five American Axle plants had shut GM’s light-truck plant in Fort Wayne, Ind., until the company this week resumed production there of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. GM also intends to restart production of its full-sized pickups in Oshawa, Ontario, starting the week of Monday, April 21.

American Axle is supplying the plants from its factory in Guanajuato, Mexico, the sources said.

It is the same plant that has supplied axles and other parts throughout the strike to GM’s Silao, Mexico, factory and an SUV plant in Arlington, Texas.

Reuters
April 7, 2008 - 11:25 am ET

DETROIT (Reuters) — Top leaders of the UAW and American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. are to meet on Monday for the first time in months in what may be a positive development toward ending the union’s nearly six-week-old U.S. strike against the auto parts supplier.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and American Axle CEO Dick Dauch have not met since negotiations opened in December.

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UAW STRIKE AT AMERICAN AXLE
Automaker shifts axle supply priorities away from SUVs

David Barkholz
and Robert Sherefkin
Automotive News
April 7, 2008 - 11:49 am ET

GM intends to close its Arlington, Texas, SUV plant after this week, while reopening two plants previously closed by the UAW strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc., said GM spokesman Dan Flores.

The pickup plants are in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Oshawa, Ontario. The plants make the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. Fort Wayne reopened today with one shift. It adds another Monday, April 14. The Oshawa plant reopens April 21, with two shifts.

GM can afford to make the change because it has ample supplies of SUVs.

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