Search News
For the Media
For media inquiries, call CWA Communications at 202-434-1168 or email comms@cwa-union.org. To read about CWA Members, Leadership or Industries, visit our About page.
Hundreds Get Jobs Back in IUE-CWA Arbitration Win at Delphi
In a big victory for IUE-CWA, an arbitrator has ordered Delphi Corp. to rehire more than 400 workers laid off in January from the Harrison Thermal plant in Moraine, Ohio, finding the company violated a 1996 memorandum of understanding.
The agreement between General Motors - which spun off Delphi in 1999 - and the union guaranteed that there would be 1,500 union-represented jobs at the facility through 2011 in exchange for $251 million in wage and benefit concessions from IUE.
Arbitrator Lon Moeller ordered Delphi to reinstate, with back pay, all workers laid off up to the 1,500-job guarantee. Workers also are to be made whole in terms of fringe benefits and seniority.
"IUE-CWA is gratified that our members' rights to a secure job have been upheld," IUE-CWA President Edward Fire said. "Workers gave up $251 million in wages and benefits in exchange for this job guarantee. If the company could avoid providing jobs, what incentive would there be for future negotiations on these types of issues?"
The victory is a big one for the IUE-CWA Automotive Conference Board, chaired by James D. Clark. "This arbitration goes to the core of our job security issues," said Clark, whose staff presented the case. "Though this case involves a single plant, we fought on behalf of each of the more than 20,000 auto workers we represent to ensure that these types of agreements are enforceable."
In January, Delphi laid off 500 workers, falling below the guarantees that were established in 1996. Since then, 94 workers have been recalled, but 406 were still out of a job and more layoffs had been projected.
Arbitrator Anthony Sinicropi sustained the union's grievance over the layoffs in February, but left the question of remedy open for further investigation. After Sinicropi died July 31, Moeller took over the case at the request of IUE-CWA and Delphi.
Delphi had protested that since its spin-off from GM, the agreement was no longer enforceable because GM could outsource work and Delphi had no recourse. Delphi cited the volatility in the auto and auto parts industry and global competitive concerns as additional reasons it should not have to honor the 1,500-job minimum.
Moeller rejected Delphi's arguments, finding that the company failed to demonstrate the "commercial impracticality" of its claim. IUE-CWA pointed out that Delphi has been systematically moving the plant's compressor work to Mexico, Hungary, Korea and elsewhere. The Moraine facility is flexible enough to support compressor work or to be retooled for other production, IUE-CWA argued.
The agreement between General Motors - which spun off Delphi in 1999 - and the union guaranteed that there would be 1,500 union-represented jobs at the facility through 2011 in exchange for $251 million in wage and benefit concessions from IUE.
Arbitrator Lon Moeller ordered Delphi to reinstate, with back pay, all workers laid off up to the 1,500-job guarantee. Workers also are to be made whole in terms of fringe benefits and seniority.
"IUE-CWA is gratified that our members' rights to a secure job have been upheld," IUE-CWA President Edward Fire said. "Workers gave up $251 million in wages and benefits in exchange for this job guarantee. If the company could avoid providing jobs, what incentive would there be for future negotiations on these types of issues?"
The victory is a big one for the IUE-CWA Automotive Conference Board, chaired by James D. Clark. "This arbitration goes to the core of our job security issues," said Clark, whose staff presented the case. "Though this case involves a single plant, we fought on behalf of each of the more than 20,000 auto workers we represent to ensure that these types of agreements are enforceable."
In January, Delphi laid off 500 workers, falling below the guarantees that were established in 1996. Since then, 94 workers have been recalled, but 406 were still out of a job and more layoffs had been projected.
Arbitrator Anthony Sinicropi sustained the union's grievance over the layoffs in February, but left the question of remedy open for further investigation. After Sinicropi died July 31, Moeller took over the case at the request of IUE-CWA and Delphi.
Delphi had protested that since its spin-off from GM, the agreement was no longer enforceable because GM could outsource work and Delphi had no recourse. Delphi cited the volatility in the auto and auto parts industry and global competitive concerns as additional reasons it should not have to honor the 1,500-job minimum.
Moeller rejected Delphi's arguments, finding that the company failed to demonstrate the "commercial impracticality" of its claim. IUE-CWA pointed out that Delphi has been systematically moving the plant's compressor work to Mexico, Hungary, Korea and elsewhere. The Moraine facility is flexible enough to support compressor work or to be retooled for other production, IUE-CWA argued.