The Detroit News: Marick Masters on UAW, GM negotiations
“Some progress" has been made during the negotiations between the United Auto Workers and General Motors Co., UAW Vice President Terry Dittes said in a letter to union local leadership on Thursday, day four of a national strike against the automaker. But Dittes, director of the UAW GM department, said "there are still many of our memberships' issues that remain unresolved." Marick Masters, professor of business at Wayne State University, believes there's still "a considerable distance between the two parties" after reading the letter. "It’s disappointing they haven’t made more progress," he said. "These are tough issues and tough times." Negotiators for the union and GM are working through differences on wages, health care and seniority for temporary employees, among other issues. Health care will be difficult for the two to work through because Masters said the union "will fight tooth and nail" to keep their health care benefits. "If the line is being drawn in the sand over health care, that becomes a tough one to fix," Masters said. "Then it becomes a test of wills of which side is going to hold out the longest."
