Picketers halt operations at GM parts center in Hudson

At the GM Parts Distribution Center on the outskirts of Hudson, 90 members of UAW Local 722 are walking the picketline 24 hours a day. The facility normally isn\’t open every day, but a few managers "are holed up inside" and strikers want to be there in case they try to move a shipment.

So far, operations are pretty much at a standstill at the center, which ships automotive replacement parts to 750 General Motors dealers in eight states. "There are a lot of mom and pop operations that definitely are going to need these parts," said Bill Foye, shop chairman for Local 722.

In these days of "just-in-time" inventory, dealerships stock very few parts, he said. Stock often comes into the Hudson facility in the morning and is shipped out that very afternoon.

Members of UAW Local 722 picket outside the General Motors Parts Distribution Center in Hudson, Wis.

In announcing the walkout, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger cited "a complete failure by GM to address the reasonable needs and concerns of our members."

While health care – particularly for union retirees – has been a sticking point in the talks, he said the issue of job security prompted the walkout, which began at 10 a.m. CDT Monday.

Workers in Hudson are concerned about job security, said Foye. "They (automakers) have outsourced so many jobs in the last 10 years it\’s unbelievable."

He and the other picketers said the walkout – the first national strike at GM since 1970 – is "a necessary evil," adding that the automakers "have short-term vision, but the UAW worries about tomorrow."

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