UAW: No new concessions GM aims at cost control, flexibility, competitiveness

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110724/BUSINESS01/107240447/UAW-No-new-concessions-?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

3:20 PM, Jul. 23, 2011

http://cmsimg.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A3&Date=20110724&Category=BUSINESS01&ArtNo=107240447&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0

A member of United Auto Workers Local 602 installs a wheel on the 2011 Acadia Denali, built at the Lansing Delta Township assembly plant. / General Motors Co

A member of United Auto Workers Local 602 installs a wheel on the 2011 Acadia Denali, built at the Lansing Delta Township assembly plant. / General Motors Co

FULL story at link.

Labor costs

A key issue for all the Detroit automakers in this year's contract talks is likely to be keeping labor costs down.

In 2010, the average hourly labor cost per worker in the U.S. was $58 for Ford, about $56 for GM and $49 for Chrysler. That puts domestic automakers near or below labor costs for Toyota ($55) and Honda's ($50) U.S. plants, but higher than Hyundai's $44-an-hour labor cost, according to the Center for Automotive Research.

In the first quarter that ended in March, GM earned $3.2 billion, Ford earned $2.6 billion and Chrysler earned $116 million.