Chrysler wages and benefits match GM, Ford

Monthly Labor Review, Dec, 1985 by George Ruben

About 70,000 striking employees of Chrysler Corp. resumed work after the company and the Auto Workers agreed on a 35-month contract. The breakthrough in the negotiations came in late October, when the parties tentatively agreed on the terms, which were subsequently approved by the union's 170-member Chrysler Council and by rank-and-file members.

The union attained its goal of regaining parity with the wage and benefit provisions of its current contracts with General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. However, the possibility of future variations still exists because the Chrysler agreement expires in September 1988, a year after the 3-year agreements at GM and Ford. The UAW had sought a September 1987 expiration date for the Chrysler contract. The company's chief negotiator said that having a different expiration date reduces the "tendency for one-upmanship" between branches of the union. He also maintained that negotiating separately will enable Chrysler--a considerably smaller company with a narrower product line--to tailor contracts to its own needs.

Details of the Chrysler-UAW contract will appear in the January issue of the Monthly Labor Review.