Governor goes to bat for salaried retirees at Delphi

Ted Strickland appealed directly to the president of General Motors.

COLUMBUS — Gov. Ted Strickland is urging General Motors Corp. to provide the same pension and benefits to nonunion Delphi retirees as it does for its union workers.

“I believe this problem is one of basic fairness to the thousands of employees who committed their lives to the health of Delphi over the years,” Strickland wrote in a letter this week to Fritz Henderson, GM’s president and chief executive officer. “It is my hope that a solution can be identified that will treat Delphi retirees exactly as the UAW-represented retirees were treated.”

The letter was a follow-up to a meeting Strickland and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher had with the company recently, part of a regular series of visits between the state’s top officeholders and the Big 3 auto makers.

Late last month, GM announced its purchase of Delphi’s components and steering operations, ensuring the company access to car and truck parts. Delphi had earlier filed for bankruptcy.

Allison Kolodziej, spokeswoman for the governor, said Strickland has been hearing concerns from former Delphi employees about pension and benefits issues.

“I am concerned about the many salaried and hourly employees not represented by the United Auto Workers that are not being afforded the same pension opportunities as UAW members as Delphi moves out of bankruptcy,” Strickland wrote.

“My understanding is that many of these retirees face a reduction of up to 70 percent in their pension payments, this coming after their loss of health care and life insurance benefits in April.”

The news will affect retirees from plants in Warren and Dayton.

“Both salaried and hourly retirees have dedicated many years to both GM and Delphi and deserve fair and equitable treatment,” Strickland wrote.

“They deserve access to medical and life insurance and to their pensions, just as their UAW colleagues do.”

He added, “I understand the challenges that both governments and businesses continue to face as the economy begins to show signs of recovery. I believe, however, that this problem needs to be addressed.”

Strickland also urged the company to continue its negotiations with union workers until both sides reach “a mutually agreeable resolution.”