% >> 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
% 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