Local auto talks on hold

LORDSTOWN — One final detail needs wrapped up before General Motors brings new models to its Lordstown complex — local labor contracts.

No negotiations are under way, however, because the United Auto Workers has frozen talks at all auto plants. Talks probably won’t be restarted until after the first of the year, said Ben Strickland, shop chairman of UAW Local 1112 in Lordstown.

The hold up is a new national labor contract between the UAW and GM, which was ratified in October. The contract creates a two-tier wage system that gives workers in “non-core” jobs half the pay of workers in “core” jobs.

The higher-paying jobs are those connected directly to the assembly line, while the lower-paying jobs are support jobs, such as housekeeping and moving parts.

Strickland said UAW leaders in Detroit want all local union officials to understand how each job will be classified. UAW leaders intend to visit each plant to meet with local union leaders but haven’t started making those visits, Strickland said.

For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Vindicator or www.vindy.com.