While the agreement between Chrysler and the United Auto Workers has been approved by the union, it didn't come near to the 66 percent that voted the General Motors (GM) contract in.
A number of workers at Chrysler were concerned the contract didn't offer as many guarantees for future work as the General Motors contract. Even so, 56 percent of production workers and 51 percent voted to approve the contract. It's unusual to have that much disagreement among the rank and file and union leadership.
The engineers and clerical workers in the union had a much higher number that voted in favor of the pact.
"Our members had to face some tough choices, and we had a solid, democratic debate about this contract," UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said in a statement. "Now we're going to come together as a union — and now it's on the company to move ahead, increase their market share and continue to build great cars and trucks here in the U.S."
Ever since the growing opposition to the pact began to happen, and possible defeat of it emerged, union leaders started lobbying heavy to get it passed, concerned about the consequences if it was defeated, and where they would go from there.
Tom LaSorda, Chrysler's vice chairman and president, said in a statement, "We are pleased that our UAW employees recognize that the new agreement meets the needs of the company and its employees by providing a framework to improve our long-term manufacturing competitiveness."
The new four-year agreement will expire on Sept. 14, 2011.
With the financial condition of Ford Motor (F), most aren't thinking the ratification of an agreement there will be as difficult as with Chrysler, as the company lost over $12 billion last year. Talks there are already under way.
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