UAW Threatening Long, Hot Summer

Negotiations in the auto industry aren't scheduled to begin until later this summer. But already the UAW is setting the stage for what could be a bitter war. UAW President Stephen Yokich has labeled the modular assembly proposed by General Motors Corp. for small-car assembly nothing more than outsourcing. Yokich says he will seek a ban on outscourcing, annual wage increases -- instead of lump sum payments, reduced overtime, and job protection. With CEOs making multi-million dollar salaries, Yokich says it is time for UAW employees to have their fair share of the record profits GM, Ford, and Chrysler (now DaimlerChrysler) earned the last five years.