Delphi Corp.’s hourly retirees fight to keep their benefits

As Delphi Corp.’s salaried retirees continue to fight for their benefits, hourly employees fear they may be next to sacrifice.

“Everyone is on pins and needles to see what might happen,” said John “Skip” Hall, 57, of Austintown, a retiree of Delphi Packard Electric.

The fear is that retiree health-care benefits could be taken away for hourly employees as they were this spring for salaried employees.

The International Union of Electrical Workers says it is ready to fight for retirees. The union is preparing to protest how General Motors Corp. has handled health-care benefits for IUE retirees, said Lauren Asplen, a union spokeswoman.

Now that GM has filed for bankruptcy, the union is concerned that funding for retiree benefits will disappear.

For the complete story, see Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com