AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 16 A United Auto Workers committee head urged members to vote against the tentative U.S. accord with Chrysler LLC, a dissident union Web site said Tuesday.
UAW bargaining committee Chairman Bill Parker, president of Local 1700 in suburban Detroit, wrote a "minority report" criticizing the union's tentative agreement with Chrysler and urging union workers to reject it "with clear instructions to return to the bargaining table," soldiersofsolidarity.com said.
The undated letter, which appears as a PDF on the site, argues the tentative Chrysler agreement -- worked out last Wednesday after a six-hour strike -- falls short of the union's deal with General Motors Corp., which UAW workers ratified.
The Detroit Free Press quoted Parker as saying he lobbied against the deal. The New York Times quoted Parker and other local leaders Monday as saying they would recommend workers vote against the contract.
UAW Vice President General Holiefield told the Detroit Free Press the union hoped to get the deal ratified by Sunday.
It is rare for UAW members to reject a tentative agreement, and union leaders are careful not to send out any deal that might stand a chance of defeat.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
