American Axle Strike Ends

The American Axle strike has come to an end after three months. The deal cuts employees' hourly wages and increases the amount they will pay for health care. UAW member Erik Webb says workers did what they felt was best. Many workers will be eligible to receive a buyout to leave the company, or a buydown to stay at a lower wage. Local shift workers are scheduled to return to work on Tuesday, after the holiday weekend. Workers who were laid off at the start of the work stoppage are asked to call a special hot line at 447-5222 for more information.

UAW Votes for American Axle Agreement

ABOUT EIGHTY PERCENT OF THE NEARLY 600 MEMBERS OF THE UNITED AUTO WORKERS FROM THE LOCAL AMERICAN AXLE PLANTS HAVE VOTED IN FAVOR OF A NEW CONTRACT. UNDER THE AGREEMENT THE TONAWANDA FORGE PLANT WILL CLOSE WITHIN A YEAR, LEAVING ONLY THE CHEEKTOWAGA MACHINING PLANT OPEN HERE. AMERICAN AXLE WORKERS IN DETROIT WON'T VOTE UNTIL TOMORROW.

Tentative Pact Will Close Plant in Tonawanda

Striking American Axle workers should see a tentative contract today. UAW officials got the proposal yesterday, as details were hammered out on Friday. Word is that the Cheektowaga Plant has gotten a reprieve and will stay open for at least the next four years, while the plant in Tonawanda will close. The union agreed to significant cuts in pay. If an agreement is reached, it will end the eleven-week strike. A vote could come as early as tomorrow.

UAW Fights Plant Closings

Striking American Axle workers in Western New York are again hearing that all local American Axle operations are in danger of shutting down. Company officials proposed the shuttering of the Cheektowaga plant as well as the facility in Tonawanda. But the UAW says that the threat of additional plant closings is a step backwards in the negotiations. American Axle already closed a plant on Delevan Avenue, before the strike.

UAW Workers Get Strike Update

Over the weekend local workers from American Axle got together to hear more about negotiations going on over their fate. The UAW strike has been going on for ten weeks. Workers were told that things keep changing and that nobody is sure about a report last week by a Detroit newspaper that the Tonawanda plant and another one in Michigan could be closed as part of a new deal. The company is pushing for big cuts in salaries and benefits. American Axle closed a plant in the City of Buffalo last year.