Chrysler Deal Faces More Rejections

UAW members at three auto plants rejected the proposed pact between Chrysler and their union this weekend, bringing to six the number of locals who have voted down the deal, the Wall Street Journal reports.  In a last-ditch effort to salvage the agreement, union leaders are focusing lobbying efforts on upcoming votes at plants in Michigan and Illinois.

A rejection would be a rare blow—the last time it happened was in 1982—to UAW leaderhip, which would be forced to head back to the bargaining table. “I don’t remember anything like this in opposition, so many ‘no’ votes, such widespread opposition,” said one union boss. Workers want further assurances from Chrysler that it will build new plants in the US and move some production work back to the States from Mexico. (More Chrysler stories.)