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MICHIGAN - Hector Hernandez pulled into the parking lot of United Auto Workers Local 594 today, armed with more questions than answers.
"I know I have to go back to work and we have a deal," said Hernandez, 62, a 28-year veteran worker at General Motors Corp . "But that's it."
"I'm here to get some answers," he added, as he walked to the door of the union local in Pontiac, Michigan, which represents workers making two profitable full-size pick-up models, the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra.
Workers like Hernandez could determine as soon as next week whether the UAW will ratify a groundbreaking four-year contract. The new agreement would shift health-care costs away from the struggling automaker and create a lower tier of wages for new hires.
Wednesday's sudden end to a two-day-old GM strike was as much of a surprise to many union members as the sudden walkout on Monday that launched the first national strike against GM by the union since 1970.
But while clearly happy to be heading back to work in the automaker's heartland, GM workers said they had been provided no details on the deal - not even a detailed explanation of why they had been on strike.
"I have no clue what's going on," said Kevin Cooke, a production worker in the city of Flint, Michigan, some 33 miles (53 km) northwest of Pontiac and about 21 miles northwest (33 km) of Detroit. "Right now, everything's up in the air."
Cooke is a temporary production worker at a Flint engine plant and a member of UAW Local 599, which represents workers at a V-6 engine plant there.
The UAW has been remarkably tight-lipped about details during 10 weeks of intensive negotiations with GM.
The union said early on Wednesday that the deal with GM included creating a health-care trust fund for retirees and job security for the 73,000 workers at the struggling US automaker. But workers were keen to find out more.
In Flint, retirees wanted to know about the trust fund, temporary workers needed to find out if they have a permanent job and everyone sought information about job security.
"We had the phones ringing back and forth, back and forth here this morning with people asking, 'What's going on,"' said Local 599 President Bill Jordan, bleary-eyed from lack of sleep.
Around lunchtime Jeremy Parker, 30, and a small group of workers arrived at the Flint local to confirm whether they had to return to work and to get more information on the deal.
"Bill Jordan told me that I may have a permanent job, or I may not," said Parker, a temporary worker for 13 months. "I can find another job, but it would be nice to know where I stand."
GM has some 4000 temporary workers employed at US$14 ($19.00) an hour, half what most permanent workers make. Jordan said it was not yet clear what their fate would be. Local newspapers in Detroit reported that these workers would become permanent, but Jordan said the UAW had yet to confirm those reports.
Ghana Goodwin-Dye, vice president of UAW Local 909 in nearby Warren, Michigan, said members were anxious to find out what concessions the union had agreed to as part of the deal with GM. UAW members speak with resentment of past concessions they have made to automaker - from pay freezes to higher workloads - which they say GM has repaid with further job cuts.
"We'll get the details to our members as soon as possible," she said. "The UAW has the interests of our workers at heart and I have faith they got us the best deal they could."
Former Local 599 officer Gordon Harman, who retired in 2004 after more than 30 years with GM, said union members were desperate for information about the health-care trust fund and confirmation that GM jobs would stay in the United States.
"People here have a lot of questions, but there is also total support for the UAW and what it is doing on our behalf," Harman said.
Back in Pontiac, Hector Hernandez turned on his heel just before opening the door to Local 594.
"I just hope it's a good deal," he said. "We could do with some welcome news around here."
- REUTERS
