UAW: American Axle proposal includes closing 3 plants

Gettelfinger told WWJ-AM in Detroit that the latest proposal came as a surprise Friday. He says it included closing a facility in Cheektowaga, N.Y., in addition to two other closures that had been previously discussed, and was an "insult."

There had been hope for a settlement after General Motors Corp.'s surprise announcement Thursday that it would throw in $200 million to help end the 10-week walkout, which has crippled production of GM pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles.

But Gettelfinger said he hadn't wanted GM involved and noted that the new offer came on the heels of GM's proposal.

"I think it definitely made it worse, because now we're facing another closure," Gettelfinger said.

He said the union planned to remain at the bargaining table through the weekend but said: "I don't know where we're at because the company changes their position every time we turn around."

American Axle spokeswoman Renee Rogers told The Associated Press she couldn't comment on specifics of a proposal. She said that talks continued Saturday and that the company is still seeking a U.S. market-competitive labor agreement.

"We have consistently offered proposals significantly higher than the agreement that our competitors have, because we want to end this," Rogers said. "And they have been consistently turned down by the UAW."

GM spokesman Dan Flores declined to comment Saturday on the talks between the union and American Axle. But he said GM's $200 million offer was made with hope of helping to facilitate an agreement.

A message seeking comment was left Saturday by the AP for UAW spokesman Roger Kerson.