Strikes shut down service departments at car dealerships

ST. LOUIS -- Mechanics, technicians and other union-backed workers in auto shops of five dozen new-car dealerships around St. Louis walked the picket lines Monday after rejecting contract proposals over the weekend.

Teamsters Local 618, which represents about 580 parts and service department workers at 60 area dealerships, rejected a contract proposal by a vote of 333-85 on Sunday morning.

That came a day after the International Association of Machinists rejected a proposed three-year deal by a vote of more than 2-to-1. The machinists voted to strike by a margin of more than 3-to-1.

The unions' existing contracts, affecting about 1,800 workers, both expired Saturday night.

New- and used-car sales at the dealerships are unaffected by the strikes. No new bargaining was immediately planned.

"I would hope for an early resolution," said Rod Joggerst, president of Teamsters Local 618. "But we're ready for the long haul."

Joggerst said the union's sticking points, among other things, were low wage increases for second- and third-year employees and vacation takebacks that would have reduced new hires' vacation and sick leave.

Among the Machinists' concerns with their proposed contract was a clause that would have allowed less-skilled workers to do work normally done by mechanics and technicians -- what apprentice mechanic Paul Dolenz called "gravy work" -- brake jobs and front-end alignments that are part of his job description.

"You're going to have the helpers doing a lot of easy stuff and there's nothing for the journeyman mechanics to do," said Dolenz, 38.

The strike took effect immediately. But because most dealerships' service departments were routinely closed Sunday, the effects were more visible Monday.

At Don Brown Chevrolet in St. Louis, the service bays Monday morning were empty and hoists lay idle as Dolenz and a half-dozen other picketers walked the line outside. Inside the dealership, receptionists were busy fielding calls from customers, some apparently previously unaware of the strike.

Patrick M. Sanders, an attorney representing the 61 dealerships that are part of the St. Louis Auto Dealers Association Signatory Group, said sales were unaffected by the strike, but "service is a slightly different story."

Sanders said service managers were making alternate arrangements for affected customers, included shifting the work to unaffected dealerships or to independent repair shops.

Sanders said the association was "surprised and disappointed" by the decision to strike.

"We reached a tentative agreement which we were told by all involved that they would highly recommend," Sanders said. "There are serious competitive issues which separate the parties, and we must find a cost-effective way to resolve those."

Among those issues were the total hourly wage for workers performing maintenance and routine repairs. Sanders said the average journeyman mechanic makes more than $32 an hour, including benefits. Competitors' workers are paid between $11 and $12 an hour, Sanders said.

At King Chrysler Plymouth Jeep, across the street from Don Brown, another half-dozen workers stood with signs in hand.

Stew Simon, a 52-year-old driver who had worked at King for four years, was particularly worried about how much his seniority would be worth under the proposed contract terms. It's not uncommon for workers to move around among dealerships because of layoffs, ownership changes or working conditions.

Simon said the proposed contract changes would mean someone moving to a new dealership would make less in benefits and pay, regardless of their experience.

"I've got all that (time) built up. But if they go to that new hire (policy) -- puh!" Simon said.

An August 2001 strike by St. Louis-area machinists strike lasted 27 days, causing a virtual shutdown at affected new-car dealerships. That walkout was called after union members rejected a tentative agreement reached with the help of a federal mediator.