Fiat Chrysler, UAW extend contract, continue negotiating

Wire report

DETROIT — Many of the negotiators in contract talks between the United Auto Workers and Fiat Chrysler took a break Tuesday morning after bargaining through the night.

The union’s contract with the Italian-American automaker officially expired at 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday, but both sides agreed to extend it on an hour-by-hour basis while talks continued toward a new four-year agreement.

Fiat Chrysler was picked as the lead company in the talks this year, making it the focus of bargaining and a potential strike target if talks hit a snag. Also Monday, General Motors and Ford extended their contracts with the UAW indefinitely as bargaining continues.

At daybreak Tuesday, only a few cars were in the parking lot of the Fiat Chrysler-UAW training center building near downtown Detroit where the talks are taking place. Full talks were expected to resume later in the morning.