According to the Bowling Green Daily News, 98 percent of the factory’s production workers and 97 percent of its skilled trades workers voted against GM’s most recent proposal for failing to meet the union’s demands. The big issue is GM’s reliance on outsourcing a range of jobs to non-union labor, including “3D printing, maintenance work and striping,” per the newspaper’s report. Negotiating better terms for sanitation and health and safety rank among the union’s other stated priorities.
GM’s previous contract with Local 2164 expired two years ago. According to Local 2164 shop chairman Jason Watson, that’s not unusual among GM’s factories. The company has attempted to justify increased subcontracting in the past by arguing that taking on more lower-paid temporary workers ensures stable compensation and job security for its unionized workforce. It’s a great tactic to allay the fears of union members while taking strength in numbers away from them.