Just as C7 Corvette production is set to come to an end in just a few weeks, GM and the United Auto Workers union have been unable to come to an agreement over a new contract.
According to reports that we’ve received here at the Corvette Action Center – negotiations have not gone well at all this week. At one point, they were so bad, that only 8 Corvettes were built at the Bowling Green Corvette Assembly Plant this past Wednesday.
While other news outlets are stating that a strike may affect the Corvette Assembly plant, according to our sources, the UAW is set to go on strike at midnight tonight if an agreement with GM cannot be met.
Jack Cooper Transport Declares Bankruptcy
News of a UAW strike at the Corvette Assembly Plant comes on the heels of news we received a few weeks ago that the Jack Cooper Transport Company, declared bankruptcy. The Jack Cooper Transport Company is one of, if not the largest automotive trucking company in the United States and has had long term contracts with Ford, Chrysler and General Motors.
The company has stated that the bankruptcy would not have any effect on Corvette shipments or the normal day-to-day operations. Luckily, this remains true as dealers are still getting their Corvette deliveries in a timely manner, and according to our source, the Bowling Green Corvette Assembly Plant is trying to get the Jack Cooper Transport Company to move as many Corvettes out of the factory as possible before the impending UAW strike.
Jack Cooper has been transporting Corvettes for decades, and this is not the first time the company has declared Chapter 11.
According to our sources, the company is trying to eliminate the truck drivers’ pensions in order to try and become profitable once again. Apparently, filing Chapter 11 is the only way they see fit to do it.
One driver that we spoke with has been driving cars since his early twenties when he returned home from the Vietnam War. He told us, “I absolutely love my job and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Given all of this news of strikes and bankruptcies, it doesn’t seem to bode well for 2020 Corvette production which is set to begin a couple weeks after C7 Corvette production comes to an end on October 4th. Given that GM is planning on running a second shift at the Corvette Assembly Plant in order to meet the increased demand for the C8 Corvette, it’s our hope that GM and the UAW can quickly come to terms over a new contract.