United Auto Workers officials say they are making progress in contract talks with Fiat Chrysler.
But negotiators say they are facing a number of “outside distractions…”
The union’s contract talks with Fiat Chrysler are following a template set by recent deals with Ford and General Motors…with a focus on maintaining job security for rank-and-file members.
U-A-W officials say there are still some difficult issues to address, though they won’t specify what those issues are.
But the talks are happening in the midst of a federal investigation into U-A-W officials allegedly embezzling more than a million dollars of union funds.
Both the union’s president and another top official resigned.
And G-M is suing Fiat Chrysler for, in effect, engaging in racketeering.
G-M accuses Fiat Chrysler of gaining a competitive advantage by bribing U-A-W officials to gain a favorable contract.