UAW, American Axle reach deal that could end strike

"We did all we could to keep the work here," King said Saturday. "I do feel that this is the very best that the UAW could have achieved with this company."

King said he is sure American Axle would have no qualms about moving work elsewhere.

"It's not a pretty agreement," he said, adding that it has no guarantees against layoffs if the economy continues to worsen.

He also said he was grateful for help from the UAW's GM department.

Two GM factories that make the company's hottest-selling products went on strike during the American Axle walkout, and industry analysts have said the strikes were an effort to draw GM into the American Axle dispute. Union officials have denied that the strikes were related, and said they were over local contract disputes at the factories in Delta Township near Lansing and Kansas City, Kan.

Detroit-based American Axle makes axles, drive shafts and stabilizer bars mainly for large GM sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. GM accounts for 80 percent of business at American Axle, which was formed from parts plants sold by GM in 1994.

King said Detroit union members will get details of the contract on Sunday and would work out the times for voting at that meeting. He said work would resume as soon as possible if the contract is approved.

Times and locations of meetings for workers at plants in New York and Three Rivers were still being arranged, the UAW said.

The work stoppage affected more than 30 GM plants and decreased production by 230,000 vehicles through April. GM also said the strike cost the company $800 million in the first quarter.

___