Some GM workers back American Axle strike

DETROIT -- Fight on, brothers and sisters.

The moves, which have most affected production of full-size pickups and SUVs, involve plants that employ more than 37,000 hourly and 4,600 salaried workers.

Several GM workers and their family members said they're glad American Axle workers are standing up for themselves and the working class.

"I was surprised — but pleasantly surprised — that (American Axle workers) actually decided to resist the proposed contract," said Stacey Kemp, 49, a GM retiree whose husband has been laid off due to the strike.

Perhaps if the United Auto Workers had stood up against GM's proposals in the fall, Kemp said, American Axle workers wouldn't need to be on strike.

She and others said that the labor contracts the UAW negotiated with the Detroit automakers last summer have led to the wage and benefits cuts that American Axle management is seeking, and that the fallout from those contracts serves as a cautionary tale for workers at Detroit's auto suppliers.

The GM workers' support came as American Axle talks appeared to stumble on Monday. United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said Tuesday that there was no movement toward a settlement.

GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said Tuesday in Washington that the strike was "not a huge issue" because GM has ample supply of trucks in dealer lots. The strike came just as sales of full-size pickups and SUVs were slowing in a weak economy, he said at a breakfast held by the Christian Science Monitor.

"We are losing some production, for sure, but at this point, the impact on retail sales has been negligible because of the inventories and the rather weak market," he said. Wagoner added that while the strike will hurt GM's first-quarter results, "as far as the business goes, it's not really affected us a lot."