UAW Seeking A Record $8,000 To $10,000 Signing Bonus

[William Maley]

UAW Seeking A Record $8,000 To $10,000 Signing Bonus

William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

September 10, 2011

Previous UAW contract negotiations with the big three would center around increased hourly wages and top benefits. But during this round of contract negotiations, the UAW could give up the increases and go for the lump sum.

In a report done by Bloomberg, the UAW could ask Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors for a signing bonus of of $8,000 to $10,000 per member. The amount is three times the current $3,000 signing bonus the big three agreed to in 2007.

“A signing bonus in this range would get some attention and is meant to serve as a down-payment on something negotiators want workers to view positively. It’s serves as a statement that says, ‘The gains this contract offers are real.’ There’s nothing as real as a check up front,” said Harley Shaiken, a labor professor at the University of California at Berkeley.

If the increased signing bonuses go through, it would cost GM $470 million, Ford $410 million, and Chrysler $250 million. A source says the automakers aren't too keen on the idea of larger bonuses.

When asked about the enlarged bonuses, a UAW spokesperson said,

“It’s inaccurate and it creates false expectations,”

The UAW's current contract ends on September 14.

Source: Bloomberg

[daves87rs]

What????

[riviera74]

How about this answer: HELL NO!

[Northstar]

The union is downright crazy. A signing bonus of $10000 is unheard of for any job that isn't sports related or for a top position in a company.

[CSpec]

I doubt equivalent workers in China will be stupid enough to demand a $10,000 signing bonus.

[loki]

if this goes through i see their stocks taking a hit for a while, and GM is already down ~1/3 from where it IPO'd

[SoCalCTS]

Each employee gave up about $10,000 to $30,000 in concessions since 2005. They are asking for $10K to help recover some of the losses. They should definitely get something for agreeing to the new contract. I bet everyone in this forum has pocketed far more than $10K in bonus money over the last five years. This isn't unreasonable. Its not like the multi-million dollar bonuses that GM management gets or the billions of dollars that the crooks on wall street take every year.

Edited September 11, 2011 by SoCalCTS

[CSpec]

Each employee gave up about $10,000 to $30,000 in concessions since 2005. They are asking for $10K to help recover some of the losses. They should definitely get something for agreeing to the new contract. I bet everyone in this forum has pocketed far more than $10K in bonus money over the last five years. This isn't unreasonable. Its not like the multi-million dollar bonuses that GM management gets or the billions of dollars that the crooks on wall street take every year.

How many currently unemployed people would happily work on the assembly line without such a bonus?

[balthazar]

I bet everyone in this forum has pocketed far more than $10K in bonus money over the last five years.

You are dead wrong on that one- how much did we bet?

[PurdueGuy]

They should definitely get something for agreeing to the new contract.

They do - jobs.

I bet everyone in this forum has pocketed far more than $10K in bonus money over the last five years.

What kind of work do you do that you're getting $3k-4k in bonuses annually?