Chrysler ’s proposed four-year contract with the UAW could be in jeopardy as a fourth large plant rejected the contract over the weekend. The latest rejection at Chrysler’s Jefferson North plant in Detroit is the sixth UAW local to vote down the deal — representing over 11,000 workers — but at least eight others — representing 6,500 workers — have approved the contract.
According to The Detroit News, 56.7% of the Jefferson North’s 1,100 production workers voted down the contract, along with 79.5% of the plant’s 195 skilled trades workers. In total, the plant has 2,200 eligible voters.
“That ‘no’ vote really indicates that there may be broader discontent in play,” Harley Shaiken, labor professor at University of California, Berkeley told The Detroit News. “It could still be close. But the early plants are sending a strong ‘no’ message.”
Chrysler ’s UAW workers are concerned about the contract’s lack of future product promises and two-tier wage system. There are about 45,000 Chrysler workers eligible to vote on the contract, of which a majority is needed for ratification.
