Chrysler UAW deal voted down in Ohio could cause problems

Living here in Ohio, the vote against the Chrysler contract with the UAW was not surprising because the reason behind it was the uncertainty with the Defiance plant's future. According to CNN, this factory and two others voting no could spell trouble for the automaker.

The contract failed Saturday at Local 110 in Fenton, Mo., one of Chrysler's largest, with 2,781 hourly workers at the South Assembly Plant. The vote was surprising because the plant makes Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Caravan minivans, which are brand new for 2008 and expected to be top sellers, providing job security for several years.

A recording at the Local 110 union hall said Saturday that 66 percent of skilled trades workers voted against the contract, while 79 percent of non-skilled workers opposed it. It didn't give the number of workers that voted.

Although final totals from the 45,000 workers voting on the pact won't be made known until next week, the size and locations of the locals voting no are not good signs for leaders in Detroit, said Harley Shaiken, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley who specializes in labor issues.

"The early results are abysmal," Shaiken said. "Members have sent a message of considerable unrest."