One Down, Tougher One to Go

The U.A.W. settles with Ford and girds for battle with GM

Nothing like it had ever happened in the long history of auto negotiations. The contract between Ford and the United Auto Workers expired last Monday at midnight, and the company's 104,000 union members would ordinarily have gone out on strike. But the clock was stopped, and the two sides, tantalizingly close to an agreement, went on talking. Finally, after a 28-hour marathon bargaining session that ended about 60 hours beyond the original strike deadline, settlement came on Thursday morning. U.A.W. President Owen Bieber was not around for the handshakes; the strain of the negotiations had sent him to a Detroit hospital...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!