By Kalea Hall
DETROIT, June 8 (Reuters) – A strike at a major supplier for General Motors’ trucks entered its second week on Monday with the United Auto Workers and Dauch Corp still unable to reach a deal, according to a local union official.
“Unfortunately, we just walked away from the table. The company is trying to play games with words and not providing anything productive,” Josh Jager, bargaining chairman for Local 2093, said in a Monday afternoon statement, adding the union is working on another proposal to give back to the company.
“We’re still making progress,” he said.
Local 2093 represents about 1,000 union workers at the plant in Three Rivers, Michigan.
A spokesman for Dauch, formerly known as American Axle, said the company remains “in close communication with our customers regarding the work stoppage.”
“We continue to have ongoing discussions with the union in hopes of promptly reaching a mutually beneficial and market-competitive contract,” he said.
The Dauch plant supplies axles and other components for GM’s full-size and midsize pickup trucks.
Last week, sources told Reuters that GM had about two weeks of axle supply to continue production.
A GM spokesman said Monday the company has not had any plants affected by the strike.
Workers at the Dauch plant in 2008 agreed to accept lower wages. Since then, the top wage has increased by $4 to $22 per hour, Jager said, while the union wants top wages at $30 per hour by 2030.
(Reporting by Kalea Hall; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
