Both sides say they are close to a deal on a new national contract, but a final agreement eluded them after a night of around-the-clock bargaining Monday.
UAW President Bob King told local union leaders gathered at the Region 1 headquarters in Warren on Monday morning that negotiators were closing in on a deal around 6 a.m. but could not resolve a few outstanding issues. The two sides decided to call a breather to allow the negotiating teams some rest.
"We are still working toward an agreement," King told the union representatives during a short briefing just after 9 a.m. "We hope to have one by Wednesday."
Late Friday, King and UAW Vice President General Holiefield, head of the union's national Chrysler division, summoned local presidents and chairmen representing about 26,000 Chrysler workers to Warren, confident that a deal was imminent.
The briefing in Warren lasted less than 20 minutes. King reportedly said nothing negative about Chrysler and offered no details on the progress already made other than to say it was substantial.
He asked the out-of-town representatives to stay in Michigan until Wednesday, when another meeting is scheduled.
Chrysler is the last of Detroit's Big Three automakers to remain bargaining with the union in this year's contract talks. General Motors Co. workers have already ratified a new contract and their counterparts at Ford Motor Co. are voting on their tentative agreement now.
Talks between Chrysler and the UAW snagged early on health care costs, entry-level wages and a signing bonus for union members.
Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said Friday the deals the UAW has already negotiated with GM and Ford are too rich for his company, which has yet to turn a profit since emerging from bankruptcy in 2009.
Marchionne is also the CEO Italy's Fiat SpA, which holds a controlling stake in Chrysler. On Monday, one of the main unions representing workers at Fiat called a one-day strike for Oct. 21 to protest what it sees as moves to shift some Fiat production to Chrysler.
Meanwhile, the UAW called on its members to be patient with the negotiating process.
"We are asking for a show of solidarity, as our negotiators continue to work diligently on a tentative agreement," the union said in a statement to members posted on its Facebook page Monday.
The current contract between Chrysler and the UAW expired Sept. 14, but the two sides have agreed to extend it until Oct. 19.
