Breaking: Corvette Workers Will Vote on Strike Authorization Today

strikeMembers of the United Auto Workers local 2164 will vote today whether to authorize a strike at General Motors’ Bowling Green assembly facility, home of Corvette production. Bowling Green Daily News reports that union president Eldon Renaud isn’t specifically calling out the issues involved in the dispute, alluding to safety and quality control concerns and the elimination of some related positions among the approximately 800-strong workforce.

The strike vote doesn’t necessarily mean we will strike, but it does give us the authorization… – UAW Local 2164 President Eldon Renaud

Per Renaud, “There are big issues here. I’m kind of surprised that nobody questioned plant manager (Dave Tatman’s) leaving. He retired effectively with no notice. Some of the issues we have now stem from the time he was here and from the personnel director.” Tatman’s final day was March 1, with replacement Jeff Lamarche, who was named to the post in mid-February, taking charge immediately afterward.

“Our people are being mistreated, and there is inequity in discipline and problems with quality and safety that aren’t being addressed by management,” said Renaud. The strike vote will be conducted between noon and 6:30 PM today, April 8, with the results tabulated this evening. A strike would undoubtedly add significantly to the long delays currently facing would-be 2014 Corvette buyers, with some already facing months-long waits for the popular Z51 model. An extended stoppage could potentially affect the 2015 model year as well, including the new Z06 performance variant.

“Hopefully we can get the problems corrected without a strike,” Renaud continued. “The strike vote doesn’t necessarily mean we will strike, but it does give us the authorization…”

About the author

Paul Huizenga

After some close calls on the street in his late teens and early twenties, Paul Huizenga discovered organized drag racing and never looked back, becoming a SFI-Certified tech inspector and avid bracket racer. Formerly the editor of OverRev and Race Pages magazines, Huizenga set out on his own in 2009 to become a freelance writer and editor.
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