UAW sues General Motors over use of temporary factory workers

As General Motors prepares to cut about 6,000 hourly jobs and shutter five plants in North America, it faces the first of likely many battles with the UAW.

On Wednesday, the UAW filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Northern Ohio against GM, alleging breach of the labor contract in relation to union members at GM's Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant, where GM builds the Chevrolet Cruze.

Lordstown is one of three vehicle assembly plants GM intends to close this year. 

“UAW members negotiated a binding agreement and we expect General Motors to follow the contract they agreed to and GM members ratified,” said UAW Vice President Terry Dittes. Dittes is also director of the UAW's GM Department.

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The contract requires GM to transfer union members with seniority to open jobs at other plants. But, the suit alleges, GM is circumventing the agreement by using temporary employees at its factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana, instead of seniority union members. That limits the number of openings available to transfers.

The UAW said there are about 1,000 seniority employees on layoff nationwide, including 690 employees laid off at the Lordstown facility. Many have applied to transfer to openings at GM's Fort Wayne Plant where GM builds the new 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups.

The suit asks that the court order GM to transfer seniority union members to the Fort Wayne plant in keeping with the contractual agreement between the parties. 

GM said that late last year that it started the process to bring about 50 Lordstown employees to Fort Wayne to fill some of positions that had been covered by temporary employees.

"In fact, about 35 Lordstown UAW members will be in place by the end of January," said Kim Carpenter, GM spokeswoman. "We have ongoing discussions with the UAW regarding our staffing needs in Fort Wayne, but have no further comments on the lawsuit." 

Contact Jamie L. LaReau: 313-222-2149 or jlareau@freepress.com