>> ALL RIGHT. GOVERNOR TONY EVERS, THANKS FOR
YOUR TIME. >> THANK YOU OF APPRECIATE IT.
>> AFTER STRIKING FOR NEARLY SIX WEEKS, THE UNITED AUTO WORKERS
UNION HAS SETTLED WITH THE BIG THREE CAR MAKERS.
VOTES TO RATIFY THE DEAL ARE UNDERWAY, INCLUDING BY UNION
MEMBERS FROM WISCONSIN AT GM AND THE FORMER CHRYSLER.
THE GM CONTRACT DEAL WITH THE COMPANIES INCLUDES A 70%
STARTING WAGE HIKE TO $30 AN HOUR AND THE ABILITY TO REACH
THE TOP PAY SCALE OF $42 AN HOUR.
FOR MORE ON THE UNION BATTLE TO RECOUP LOSSES WORKERS TOOK IN
CONCESSIONS TO HELP THE COMPANIES STAVE OFF BANKRUPTCY,
WE TURN TO STEVE FRISQUE, U.A.W. LOCAL 722 PRESIDENT AT GM IN
HUDSON WHO IS IN DETROIT RIGHT NOW FOR THE VOTE.
STEVE, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> SO WHAT IS IT LIKE TO HAVE
SETTLED AND BE OFF TO VOTE TO RATIFY?
>> WELL, IT'S EXCITING. JUST ABOUT 39 DAYS THIS TIME
AFTER BEING OUT 42 FOUR YEARS AGO, SO IT WAS A LONG TIME OUT
AND, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES A TOLL, ESPECIALLY ON A LOT OF OUR
YOUNGER MEMBERS WHO JUST STARTED WORKING HERE AND DON'T MAKE THE
TOP WAGE. IT TAKES A HUGE AMOUNT OF
SACRIFICE AND DEDICATION TO BE OUT THERE ON THAT PICKET LINE,
WHICH WE WERE 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
IT'S EXCITING THAT WE HAVE A TENTATIVE CONTRACT.
WHAT I'M HEARING AND READING SOUNDS VERY FAVORABLE.
WE WILL BE ROLLING THAT OUT FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENTS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND THEN WE WILL TAKE A VOTE ON WHETHER TO
SEND IT TO THE MEMBERSHIP FOR RATIFICATION VOTE.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE WILL BE DOING THIS AFTERNOON.
>> WOULD YOU EXPECT THIS TO BE RATIFIED BY MEMBERS?
>> WHAT I'VE SEEN SO FAR, YES, I REALLY DO.
IT'S A HUGE INCREASE, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR YOUNGER MEMBERS.
IT'S BRINGING THEM UP TO THE WAGES THAT THE LEGACY EMPLOYEES
THAT HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A LONG TIME ARE AT.
IT'S GETTING RID OF THE TIERS, WHICH WE HAVE BEEN ARGUING AND
FIGHTING FOR SINCE THEY WERE IMPLEMENTED BACK AFTER THE NEAR
BANKRUPTCY IN 2008 AND 2009. UNIONS WERE BASED ON EQUAL PAY
FOR EQUAL WORK. THAT'S OUR BELIEF.
WE BELIEVE THAT THESE YOUNGER PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE A PATH TO GET
TO THE FULL WAGE AND MAKE THE SAME AS THE PEOPLE THAT THEY'RE
WORKING NEXT TO, AND THIS CONTRACT ALLOWS THAT TO HAPPEN.
COST OF LIVING IS BACK IN THE CONTRACT, WHICH WE HAD SUSPENDED
SINCE THE BANKRUPTCY TIME FRAME. SO I REALLY EXPECT THIS CONTRACT
TO PASS. WE OBVIOUSLY NEED TO GO OVER
SOME STUFF YET BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T SEEN EVERYTHING IN THAT
CONTRACT YET, BUT I'M VERY HOPEFUL THAT WE WILL PASS IT AND
>> WHAT DOES T
TRACT BORNE OF THE U.A.W. STRIKE SAY ABOUT
THE NEW MIGHT OF THE UNION? >> IT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT
LEADERSHIP, AS I'M SURE YOU KNOW.
THERE'S A LOT OF CORRUPTION IN THE U.A.W. AND THE
ADMINISTRATIVE CAUCUS THAT WAS IN THERE SINCE BASICALLY SINCE
THE UNION STARTED HAS NOW BEEN REPLACED WITH A ONE MEMBER, ONE
VOTE. SO SEAN FEIGN HAS ONLY BEEN IN
OFFICE SINCE FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR.
THEY HAD OBVIOUSLY A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THE STRIKE.
NORMALLY, THEY PICK A COMPANY AND A TARGET COMPANY AND GO
AFTER THAT TO TRY AND GET AN AGREEMENT AND THEN THE OTHER TWO
COMPANIES, WE CALL IT PATTERNED BARGAINING, WILL BASICALLY GO ON
THE SAME TYPE OF CONTRACT PRETTY CLOSE TO THE PATTERN BARGAINING
THE ORIGINAL PLACE WAS. THIS TIME, HE PITTED ALL THREE
AGAINST EACH OTHER AND TO SEE WHO WOULD GET OUT THE BEST
DEALS, AND I THINK IT KEPT THE COMPANIES ON THEIR TOES, THEY
DID NOT KNOW WHAT PLANTS WERE GOING TO BE MAYBE STRUCK NEXT
AND THEY COULDN'T PREPARE FOR IT AND I THINK IT WAS VERY
SUCCESSFUL AND THAT'S WHY I THINK WE ALL THREE AGREEMENTS
ARE PROBABLY GOING TO BE RATIFIED AND BECAUSE I THINK
IT'S THE BIGGEST GAINS THAT WE'VE GOTTEN IN MY LIFETIME
SINCE I'VE WORKED HERE. >> SPEAKING OF BIG GAINS, DO
INCREASED LABOR COSTS JEOPARDIZE AUTO MAKERS AS THEY TRANSITION
TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES? >> THAT'S WHAT THE COMPANY WOULD
LIKE YOU TO BELIEVE. LABOR COSTS ARE VERY MINUTE
PORTION OF WHAT A VEHICLE COSTS. IT'S TYPICALLY IN THE 5 TO 7%
RANGE. THEY LIKE TO SAY THAT, BUT THESE
COMPANIES HAVE BEEN MAKING REGARD PROFITS FOR THE LAST --
MAKING RECORD PROFITS FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS.
THE LAST DECADE, THEY'VE MADE OVER 250 BILLION IN PROFITS
BETWEEN THE THREE OF THEM. C.E.O. PAY HAS WENT UP 40% IN
THE LAST FOUR YEARS. THE COST OF VEHICLES HAVE GONE
UP 30% IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS. INFLATION HAS GONE UP OVER 19%
AND OUR WAGES HAVE GONE UP 6%, SO IF THEY WANT TO BLAME IT ON
THEY DON'T WANT TO S
HE MONEY THAT THEY MAKE WITH THEIR
WORKERS. THAT'S NOT JUST A PROBLEM WITH
THE BIG THREE; THAT'S A PROBLEM ACROSS EVERY BUSINESS, THEY
DON'T WANT TO SHARE PROFITS WITH THE PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY MAKE
THEM THE PROFITS AND THAT'S THEIR WORKERS.
>> ALL RIGHT. WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
STEVE FRISQUE IN DETROIT, THANKS STEVE FRISQUE IN DETROIT, THANKS