Is The UAW Poised To Sell Out Rank And File Raises For A Boost In Membership?

To hear ranking Detroit auto industry executives tell it privately, a new contract with the United Auto Workers would come next month without base wage increases or cost-of-living adjustments, a bitter pill for rank-and-file workers.

How would they sell it, particularly at a Ford Motor Co. unfettered by federal bailout conditions? By offering lump-sum signing bonuses and delivering a four-year plan to reinvest billions in U.S. plants and hire thousands of new hourly employees, a ranking industry executive close to the situation said this week. The trade-off would be a win for the UAW, for the automakers and for Michigan, still the nation's leading auto producer despite the Great Meltdown.