AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY Delphi, union reach tentative accord

Delphi agrees to keep all of its plants open under the proposed contract, the union said.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
Union and management negotiators at Delphi Corp. reached a tentative contract agreement that will be sent to workers for approval.
Negotiators reached the four-year deal Sunday evening after extending the previous contract, which was set to expire Saturday.
The International Union of Electrical Workers, which represents 10,000 Delphi workers, said the company agreed not to close any plants during the life of the contract. Delphi has been closing plants and reducing its work force to become more efficient.
The union released few other details but said members will receive a $3,000 signing bonus as well as improvements in pension and health-care coverage and contract language.
James Clark, chairman of the union's Automotive Conference Board, called it a "great new contract."
"In this tough economy, our members now have the opportunity for the greater job and income security they deserve for their efforts to make our plants productive," he said.
The IUE said it expects voting to be completed by Nov. 24. Kevin Hartill, vice president of IUE Local 717 in Warren, said this morning that the time and place for local workers to vote hadn't been determined.
Doug Hoy, a Delphi spokesman, said no details on the contract are being released before the vote.
About Delphi
Delphi, which is based in Troy, Mich., is the parent of Delphi Packard Electric Systems, which employs about 4,000 hourly workers in the Mahoning Valley. Delphi is the world's largest automotive supplier, and Packard makes wiring harnesses and related products.
Hartill said a tentative agreement also has been reached on revisions to the local contract. The national agreement covers wages and benefits, but the local agreement covers work rules and other plant-specific issues.
In addition to the plant-closing moratorium in the national contract, Delphi committed to working with the union to attempt to locate a new product in Delphi's Anaheim, Calif., battery plant, which is suffering from a decline in business, the union said.
It said Delphi also promised to join the union in fighting for national health-care coverage.
GM contract
The union is continuing to negotiate a labor contract with General Motors Corp. and said it expects to secure a significant commitment to new business for Delphi plants. The current contract expires today. GM already has reached a new national contract with the United Auto Workers.
That agreement called for bonuses in the first two years and pay raises in the final two years.
Besides the Mahoning Valley, the Delphi contract covers workers in Moraine and Kettering, Ohio; Gadsden, Ala.; Clinton and Brookhaven, Miss.; Anaheim, Calif.; and New Brunswick, N.J.
shilling@vindy.com