GM General Motors Company

By Nora Naughton 

General Motors Co. Chief Executive Mary Barra met on Wednesday with United Auto Workers President Gary Jones to jump-start stalled contract talks and end a 25-day strike at the company's U.S. factories, according to people briefed on the meeting.

Ms. Barra called the meeting with Mr. Jones and the UAW's top bargainer for GM, Terry Dittes, concerned the union had yet to respond to the company's latest proposal, which it shared with the union on Monday, the people said. The meeting was at GM's Detroit headquarters, in the same building where negotiations are under way, the people added. This is the first meeting between Ms. Barra and Mr. Jones since the strike began.

Top negotiators for the union and the company haven't met at the main bargaining table in the past two days, a sign talks have slowed, the people said. The negotiations have only continued on the committee level, where the details of larger items are usually hashed out, the people said.

After significant progress last week, negotiations hit a snag on Sunday, prompting Mr. Dittes to send a letter to members informing them that talks had taken a "turn for the worse."

The meeting between Ms. Barra and Mr. Jones was earlier reported by the New York Post.

As the strike stretches through a fourth week, both sides are still working to resolve differences on several issues, including wages and new-hire pay, the people said. Other previous sticking points like health care and a path to full-time status for temporary workers have been largely settled, they said.

Mr. Dittes said in a Tuesday letter to members that negotiators were still far apart on the topic of job security, adding GM was falling short on demands to invest more in the U.S. over other countries, such as Mexico.

The company's decision last year to indefinitely idle four UAW-represented factories -- including assembly plants in Detroit and Lordstown, Ohio -- sparked tensions early on. GM, in an offer made public after the UAW called the strike, has said it has solutions for the two assembly plants.

The strike is already the longest nationwide walkout at GM since 1970 and is taking a toll on both sides. UAW workers will miss their third paycheck this week, putting pressure on their finances. The union compensates workers with a $250 weekly check out of its strike fund, a fraction of their regular pay.

Analysts estimate the strike that has brought more than 30 GM factories to a standstill has cost the company more than $1 billion in lost production. Parts shortages related to the work stoppage has spilled over to Mexico, where GM last week was forced to idle its third of three North American pickup-truck plants.

Mike Colias contributed to this article.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 10, 2019 18:25 ET (22:25 GMT)

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