American Axle union members begin voting on offer

A union meeting was punctuated with anger and shouting.

DETROIT (AP) — Striking workers at American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. began voting Monday on a new contract with the auto parts maker that would cut their pay by about one-third.

United Auto Workers at the Detroit Forge plant and a factory in Three Rivers started casting ballots in the morning.

But the vote that could end the bitter 83-day strike won’t end until Thursday evening when Local 235 in Hamtramck, the largest local at the company, wraps up its balloting.

About 3,600 workers walked off their jobs Feb. 26 in the wage-and-benefit dispute that has featured name-calling and threats by the company to move work to other countries.

The strike caused a parts shortage that crippled production of General Motors Corp.’s pickup trucks and full-size SUVs. More than 30 factories were affected and thousands of workers for GM and other parts suppliers were laid off.

Detroit-based American Axle makes axles, drive shafts and stabilizer bars mainly for GM’s pickup trucks and large sport-utility vehicles. GM accounts for about 80 percent of its business.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and other union officials explained the deal to Detroit workers at a high school Sunday. The meeting was punctuated by anger and shouting, and most workers leaving the session said they didn’t like the four-year deal.

But many said they’ll vote for it because it’s the best the union could get in a weak economy with the possibility of American Axle moving their work elsewhere. Others said they will vote to stay on strike.

“I think by and large most people will vote for it,” Bill Alford, president-elect of Local 235, said Monday. “They understand the way things are right now. People are making their own decisions. You’re going to get a lot of ‘no’s,’ but I think for the most part, it’ll go through.”

Local 235, with 1,983 members, is by far the largest local and likely will have the final say on the deal. But Alford said that depends on how many members show up to vote.

Some who are looking for better-paying jobs may not vote, Alford said.

GM said it lost $800 million in the first quarter and produced 230,000 fewer vehicles due to the strike.