General Motors faces strike deadlines Friday at 2 plants

DETROIT

General Motors Corp. faces strike deadlines Friday from United Auto Workers locals at two factories, including one in Kansas City that makes the strong-selling Chevrolet Malibu sedan.

Company spokesman Dan Flores said locals at the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City and a metal stamping facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, have given the company notices that strikes will take place at 10 a.m. local time.

Another metals plant in Mansfield, Ohio, gave notice that a strike could take place at 10 a.m. on Monday, Flores said.

All three issued the warnings because of local contract disputes with GM.

Local plants negotiate their own operating agreements separate from the national contract, which was settled last year. The local contract deals with issues such as overtime and work rules.

In addition, a plant near Lansing, Michigan, that makes strong-selling crossover vehicles went on strike April 17, and another key transmission plant is negotiating and could give a 12-hour strike notice at any time.

Flores says negotiations are under way at all the plants in hopes of resolving the issues without further strikes.

A message was left for UAW spokesman Roger Kerson.

Industry analysts have speculated that the strike and threats are an effort by the UAW to get GM to put pressure on American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. to settle a lengthy strike.

GM accounts for 80 percent of American Axle's parts business. About 3,600 UAW workers at five American Axle plants have been on strike since Feb. 26. Negotiations are continuing.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger says the threats are about local contract issues and have nothing to do with American Axle.