UAW leader Ron Gettelfinger told an auto industry gathering that the union does not anticipate making any wage concessions as part of the restructuring required of the Big Three automakers after receiving billions in federal funds to stave off bankruptcy.
 

The UAW will sacrifice to help General Motors and Chrysler LLC get their federal loans, but doesn’t expect to take lower wages, President Ron Gettelfinger said tonight at the Automotive News World Congress.

He cited several concessions the union already has made to help the automakers become more competitive. But he also said that the effort to revive the automakers has a long way to go. “We’re not out of the woods yet,” he said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Automotive News World Congress, Gettelfinger said automaker executives have indicated publicly that wage concessions would not be required of the union as part of federal bailout provisions being demanded of General Motors and Chrysler LLC. “We’re not expecting lower wages,” he said.

Gettelfinger pointed to concessions the union had already made that saved billions of dollars for the automakers over the last few years.