Senior officials from the United Auto Workers union will travel to Italy next week for a meeting with Fiat SpA (FIA.MI) Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne and a pitch to bring jobs to the United States for its suppliers.
UAW President Bob King will tour Fiat plants for a look at the manufacturing system the Italian automaker has begun to introduce at plants operated by its U.S. affiliate Chrysler, King told Reuters in an interview on Monday.
At the same time, the union hopes to convince Fiat suppliers that they should move facilities to UAW-represented plants in North America to produce parts for a more integrated Fiat-Chrysler and an upcoming raft of redesigned vehicles.
"We're going to be pitching to suppliers that they should come and locate here in Michigan," King said.
Chrysler, which was restructured under bankruptcy by the Obama administration, has been operating under the management control of Fiat's Marchionne for the past 16 months.
A trust fund established to pay health care costs for Chrysler's UAW-represented retirees owns 55 percent of the No. 3 U.S. automaker.
King, 64, who took charge of the UAW in June, said he has been impressed by Fiat's plans to revive Chrysler's vehicle line-up and his collaborative approach to the union.
"It's all about product. The plans Sergio has are really positive," King said. "That and his attitude of 'let's do it together'."
Marchionne had sparred with King's predecessor, Ron Gettelfinger, over his suggestion that U.S. auto workers needed to embrace a "culture of poverty," according to an account of a private meeting by former U.S. auto czar Steve Rattner.
