UAW prepares members for possible strike

The UAW took additional steps on Wednesday to brace its members for a potential strike with just hours left before its current contract with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles expires.

The union posted a primer that answers common questions about what happens during a strike on its UAW Chrysler Talks Facebook page this morning explaining what a strike is, who is eligible for strike benefits, how much workers are paid by the union during the strike and the medical benefits that are covered.

About 43% of Fiat Chrysler's 40,000 UAW workers were hired after 2007 and many of them have never experienced a strike.

The UAW Facebook postings come as the UAW and FCA are attempting to restructure a tentative agreement that workers overwhelming rejected during a two-week voting process that ended last week.

After that contract was rejected by 65% of the workers who voted, the union decided to restart talks with FCA instead of moving on to either Ford or General Motors. The UAW represents about 140,000 autoworkers at the Detroit Three and is in middle of negotiating new contracts with all three companies.

The UAW issued a notice to the automaker on Tuesday saying it would terminate its current contract with at 11:59 p.m. tonight with or without a new contract, which could trigger a strike. The UAW also posted strike instructions at many of FCA's plants on Tuesday that explained what workers should do if a strike is called.

"Discussions are continuing and we are continuing to move forward," said Jodi Tinson, a spokeswoman for Fiat Chrysler.

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne has not been in the country, but has been involved in discussions.

UAW set to strike as FCA keeps talking

The UAW has four options today: It could reach an new agreement with FCA, it could agree to extend the contract deadline if discussions are going well but are incomplete, it could call a targeted strike at selected plants or it could call a nationwide strike.

David Craig, a worker at Fiat Chrysler's transmission plant in Kokomo, Ind., said workers at his plant are ready to fight for a better contract.

"I hate the whole idea of a strike, but if it comes to that, why then I'm union all the way," Craig said. "There were a lot of things wrong with the recently turned-down deal, but on many levels it was a good deal, too."

FCA work schedules helped kill deal with UAW

On Facebook today, the union provided members with the following information, which has been slightly edited by the Free Press:

• What is a strike:  A strike happens when workers collectively decide to withhold their labor, after authorization from the International (UAW). In the UAW, strikes are governed by the UAW constitution including articles 12, 16 and 50.
• To be eligible for strike pay and benefits workers must: Be in good standing on the day the strike starts with membership dues and fees. Members must also be on the automaker's active payroll at the start of the strike.
• How much is UAW strike assistance and how often is it paid? Weekly strike pay is $200 per week, 
• What medical benefits are covered: The UAW Strike and Defense Fund covers benefits such as medical and prescription drugs. Benefits that are not covered include: Dental, vision, hearing and sick and accident.

Contact Brent Snavely: 313-222-6512 or bsnavely@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrentSnavely.