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 SEND IT TO THE MEMBERSHIP FOR
RATIFICATION.>> WHAT DOES T HE CONTRACT 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 OUR WAGES, IT'S JUST NOT
FACTUAL.THEY DON'T WANT TO S HARE THE
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