UAW picks General Motors as 'lead company' in contract talks
The union will aim to craft a deal first with GM and then bargain with Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC. Ford signed an indefinite extension on its contract with the UAW, according to sources close to the union and company. Either party can cancel the extension with three days' notice.
A similar extension is expected from Chrysler.
The four-year contract between the UAW and Detroit's automakers was set to expire Friday. Bargaining has centered on the creation on a massive health care trust to cover escalating retiree medical bills. GM has been leading the charge among the automakers to get the sop-called VEBA in place.