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No
agreement was expected Thursday even as talks were continuing
and could continue into the weekend, UAW and GM officials said.
Because of the complex nature of shifting health care coverage
costs, GM said Thursday that UAW members' coverage had never
lapsed.
"Given the confusion around what was happening, we chose to work
with our providers to ensure that the benefits would remain
fully in place," GM spokesman Jim Cain said.
The UAW had accused GM of blindsiding its members with the
decision to drop coverage during the strike, and some workers
had claimed they could not pay their medical bills as a result.
The union seized on this issue to rally public and political
support for the 48,000 striking workers.
"There is no doubt that public sentiment sees these actions of
GM as a shameful act," Terry Dittes, the UAW vice president in
charge of the GM department, said on Thursday in a letter to GM
that the union released publicly.
UAW members went on strike at GM on Sept. 16 seeking higher pay,
greater job security, a bigger share of the leading U.S.
automaker's profit and protection of their healthcare benefits.
GM immediately shifted responsibility for the health insurance
to the union's strike fund.
GM officials had previously indicated that the decision on
health insurance had been telegraphed to the union well before
the strike and no worker had lacked coverage thanks to the UAW
strike fund.
The strike is costing GM about $100 million a day, analysts
said.
The walkout - the longest autoworker strike in nearly 30 years -
has become a political event, attracting the attention of
Democratic presidential hopefuls, who have been visiting the
striking workers on the picket lines.
The Democratic candidates have echoed the striking workers in
saying GM employees deserve fair treatment from the Detroit
automaker they helped get through bankruptcy, and several
criticized GM for its previous decision to stop paying for the
workers' health insurance.
People familiar with the talks said progress has been made, but
the two sides are still grappling with issues over pay and job
security of newer and temporary workers. The sides were still
meeting late on Thursday.
GM shares closed up 1.4% at $37.61 on Thursday.
(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit and David Shepardson in
Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Dan Grebler)
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