Health care costs key issue in UAW talks - The Detroit News
Automaker spending on health care for hourly workers and their families likely will top $2 billion this year. In just the past four years, it's grown 45 percent for Ford Motor Co. and 77 percent for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US. The United Auto Workers has been resistant to giving up the gold-plated health care coverage it has for more than 135,000 hourly... UAW hourly workers enjoy some of the best health care benefits in the country: There are virtually no premiums or deductibles and minimal co-pays for doctor visits and prescriptions. Ford says its health care cost for hourly employees is about $800 million this year — up from $550 million in 2011. FCA says it will pay $615 million this year, compared to $347 million it spent in 2011. GM reportedly spent $665 million on health... Health care is a "go to war issue" for the UAW as it seeks to maintain or expand benefits without adding more cost-sharing, said Kristin Dziczek, director of the Industry & Labor Group with the Center for Automotive Research. "They need to cut the cost of their single most expensive benefit, and they think that people who have skin in the game make different decisions about their health care," she said. Health care costs are not the only top issues the UAW and automakers. Source: www.detroitnews.com
