DETROIT--Chrysler Group LLC Chief Executive Officer Sergio
Marchionne said negotiations on a new contract aren't near
completion with the Canadian Auto Workers union.
The union is trying to reach a collective bargaining agreement
before the current one expires on Sept. 17.
"I think we've made some progress, but there is a long road to
travel between now and conclusion," Marchionne said at an event in
Detroit on Friday.
The U.S. auto makers are trying to get concessions from the
union, saying that Canada has become the most expensive place in
the world to build vehicles. The strength of the Canadian dollar,
combined with the union's resistance to accepting some cuts that
U.S. workers have already made, have made Canada less
competitive.
"I think the facts are the facts and I think ignoring them is
sweeping them under the carpet is not going to make anybody's life
better," Mr. Marchionne said. "My sincere hope we come to a stark
realization where we are and we move on from here."
The CAW is taking an unusual tactic of attempting to negotiate
contracts with all three Detroit auto makers at the same time. It
normally focuses on one at a time and patterns the successive
contracts after the first.
The union has said it is willing to strike all three at the same
time as well if it can't reach an agreement.
Write to Christina Rogers at christina.rogers@wsj.com
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