DETROIT — While General Motors is restarting truck production it had halted because of the UAW strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc., auto dealers say they’re in no hurry to get more trucks on their lots. They have plenty.

Even though GM stopped filling orders for some trucks this month, dealers around the country interviewed today said they’re not losing truck business because of American Axle-related inventory problems.

“We’ve got a lot of inventory that’s still sitting on the ground,” says Doug Niemeyer, sales manager for Buick, Pontiac and GMC at Bommarito Automotive Group in Ellisville, Mo.

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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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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.

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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DETROIT — The UAW strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. that has halted light-truck production at General Motors soon may push the automaker to close its first car assembly plants.
GM could stop building the Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 in Lordstown, Ohio, by April 4 because of a shortage of a brake part made by American Axle, according to an Associated Press report. …  story  Published: Mar 27 4:00 pm U.S. Eastern time [REG]

This just In

Rumor has it Ford will announce an Indefinite Layoff starting April 1

Combined with GM’S Axle Strike things couldn’t get any worse for the carhaul Industry

Automotive News
March 7, 2008 - 12:01 am ET
UPDATED: 3/7/08 5:09 p.m. EST

DETROIT — General Motors said Friday that nine more parts plants are cutting shifts and reducing work because of the UAW strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc.

The list of affected GM plants now stands at 29, including seven assembly plants.

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All told, GM has now lost production of 18,315 vehicles a week, according to the Automotive News data center.

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……..UPDATE……..

American Axle threatens to shrink U.S. operations

DETROIT — American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. said late Tuesday that it would consider further shrinking its U.S. operations if the UAW doesn’t agree to lower wages and benefits.

In the statement, the company said it has informed the UAW of its position as the union’s strike against the driveline parts supplier enters its third week.

About 3,600 UAW workers at five U.S. American Axle plants struck the company on Feb. 26. Negotiations have been off-and-on since then. The two sides will reconvene direct contract talks Thursday, the statement said.

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David Barkholz
Automotive News
March 6, 2008 - 1:02 pm ET
UPDATED: 3/6/08 4:55 p.m. EST

DETROIT — More than a half-dozen additional General Motors powertrain and casting plants are being affected by the strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc.

The engine and component plants aren’t closing completely but are losing shifts and work, said a source familiar with the situation.

GM earlier today said it would shut down its seventh assembly plant because of the 2-week-old UAW strike.

GM: Profitable in North America by 2010 or 2011

Automotive News
February 12, 2008 - 7:30 am ET
UPDATED: 2/12/08 4:10 p.m. EST

GM CFO Fritz Henderson

For all of 2007, GM’s global operations reported a record net loss of $38.7 billion. But much of that came from the way GM calculated certain tax assets. When stripping away one-time charges and write-downs, GM’s worldwide automotive operations were profitable last year. GM earned $553 million in 2007, after losing $339 million in 2006.

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