UAW strike against GM axle supplier continues without talks, union official says

By Kalea Hall

DETROIT, June 2 (Reuters) – Negotiations between a General Motors axle supplier and the United Auto Workers have not taken place since the union ​launched a strike against the company on ‌Sunday, according to a local union negotiator.

Josh Jager, a 24-year employee and bargaining chairman for Local 2093, the UAW chapter representing about 1,000 union workers at the plant, said Tuesday the ‌company, ​Dauch Corp, has not called ⁠to resume negotiations. The ⁠union handed a contract proposal to the company on Sunday night, he said.

“They are on the clock, they are under the gun but their finger is not ​on the trigger yet,” Jager said.

Dauch, formerly known as American Axle, did not immediately respond to ⁠a request for comment.

Dozens of Dauch ⁠employees have been picketing since early ​Monday outside of the axle plant in Three Rivers, Michigan, ​which supports production of GM’s profitable pickup trucks.

A ‌majority of the axles made at the Three Rivers plant are sent to GM’s Flint, Michigan, heavy-duty truck plant, Jager said.

Jager and other sources have said GM ⁠has about two weeks of axle supply to continue production. The union has seen about 250 salaried workers going ⁠into the plant ‌to make axles, Jager said.

A GM ⁠spokesman said its truck production continued on ​Tuesday.

The ‌union wants to see wage increases, better ​work-life balance ⁠issues addressed, and its healthcare benefits maintained.

Workers took wage concessions in 2008. Since then, the top wage has increased by $4 to $22 per hour, Jager said. The union wants top wages above $30 per hour.

(Reporting by Kalea Hall, Editing ​by Nick Zieminski)