DETROIT — As the strike at American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. lingers into its eighth week, workers on the picket line and even the president of the United Auto Workers say the longer they’re out, the better the settlement they will expect.
The strike, which has slowed production of General Motors Corp.’s pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles and is starting to affect car factories, could drag on even longer.
UAW president Ron Gettelfinger said during the weekend that the pace of negotiations has been “excruciatingly slow,” which he says is the company’s strategy.
“We are not close to a settlement,” he said Saturday night.
Workers interviewed on the picket lines at American Axle’s Detroit complex last week said they wouldn’t accept a contract with big concessions after striking for such a long time.
“It would be stupid,” said James Keevis, an electrician who has been with American Axle for 13 years. “We’ll wait it out.”
Workers seemed to know that some givebacks may be coming.
Several said they wanted to see the size of buyout offers from the company and the size of buy-downs in which the company would pay senior workers extra money for a few years as they transition to lower hourly wages.
American Axle has said its total U.S. hourly labor cost including wages and benefits is $73.48 per worker, three times the rate at its domestic competitors.
