General Motors' GM.UL new boss Dan Akerson sent his first letter to staff on Thursday, saying he valued the role of organized labor in the company's success as GM heads into negotiations with its union-represented U.S. workers next year.
Akerson, 61, is the fourth CEO the automaker has had in the last 18 months. He took over on Wednesday from Ed Whitacre, who resigned after telling the GM board last month he did not want to stay on the job long-term.
GM in Akerson's first year will have the difficult task of drumming up investor support for its planned initial public offering while also getting ready to renegotiate its contract with the United Auto Workers which expires next year.
Akerson's letter was posted on internal GM websites and sent to its plants around the world. A copy of the five-paragraph letter was obtained by Reuters.
Akerson said in the letter that he recently met with the new president of the UAW, Bob King.
"We agreed that, while we will not always see eye-to-eye on everything, GM will succeed to the extent that management and labor work together," wrote Akerson. "I believe very deeply in that."
The current four-year contract between GM and its UAW-represented workers expires September 14, 2011. GM and the UAW reached an agreement on the contract in September 2007 after a two-day strike.
