"An official announcement would go well with that extravagant event they are planning," said Whitty, who also has the nickname "Doctor Detroit."
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| General Motors Chairman Rick Wagoner, left, and United Auto Workers Union President Ron Gettelfinger shake hands along with GM's Troy Clarke, second row on the left, and UAW-GM Vice President Richard Shoemaker to begin the contract negotiations on July 17, 2003. (Photo: Joe Polimeni/General Motors) |
Bones of Contention
The focus of the contract talks seems to be on continuity, but each of the Big Three is pursuing their own agenda with the union, Jackson said.
"Gettelfinger is really in a position to set the tone for his leadership and for the future of the UAW," Jackson said. "The agreements that come out of these negotiations will provide a significant direction to the future of the UAW."
"But, in terms of crafting agreements that are unique for each of the companies is a bit of challenge. If you focused just on the capacity side and agree it must be rationalized, this will work for GM and Ford, but not for DaimlerChrysler."
"GM is in best position financially, but it needs to improve on its capacity and yet one of its overriding issues is addressing legacy costs -- pensions and healthcare," Jackson said. "Our view is that Ford may be willing to agree to essentially the status quo for an agreement to allow for capacity reduction."
"Now DaimlerChrysler is in a different situation; it doesn't have any capacity to offload, but its focus is on reducing the tremendous increases in the costs of healthcare."The analysts at CSM feel that DCX is the least likely target for the union, he added.