Dayton Behr Locals Prepare for Tough Bargaining Talks

Sarasota, Fla.

With a new bargaining team and new owner É and a cut-throat industry É the leadership of Dayton, Ohio Locals 775 and 758 are cautiously approaching their first contract negotiations at the plant in more than a decade.

The talks, which open this summer, will be the first since the German-owned Behr purchased the previous Chrysler plant five years ago.

In the ensuing time, both parties have worked hard to build strong relationships and improve plant operations.

"There is an overall culture of change," stated Plant Manager Dean Arneson, as the group met for their annual conference board meeting to review business operations.

But change may not be moving quickly enough to succeed as the automotive parts plant faces the same competitive challenges that have led Delphi to bankruptcy and Visteon to plant closings.

IUE-CWA President Jim Clark, who attended the meeting along with the local leadership and Region 7 Director Harry Bogan, cautioned against taking the "easy road" of going offshore.

"We want to work efficiently and have the best wage-and-benefit package we can get," Clark stated. "The way we do that is to have skilled and effective workers, which is what you have at the Dayton plant."

Clark urged Behr to tap into the experience and knowledge the workforce has.

"You would be surprised what you can mine from members as solutions to your problems," he said. "On improving productivity, reducing waste and other issues they have much to offer."

Frank Mueller, president and CEO of Behr America, said that the company currently is committed to staying in North America but is worried as it sees more market share shifting to transplants where the company does not have a big share.

The Dayton plant is losing money, the Behr officials stated, but they hope to turn that around in the next two years. With nearly two-thirds of sales coming from Dayton, the facility is "too big not to do that," Mueller said.

"If we don't do it together it is not going to work," he said. "There is no option for our business not to make money."

Mueller called the upcoming negotiations a "moment of truth" that would determine whether the U.S. auto parts industry can be restructured to be competitive in the long run.

The plant, with just under 2,000 workers, makes vehicle cooling and air conditioning systems.