Solidarity

While it may affect their workload, and consequently, their wages, its good to see that there will be no ancillary picket crossing from the Teamsters:

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters will not deliver General Motors Corp. (GM) cars while the United Auto Workers stages a nationwide strike against the U.S. auto maker.

In a press release issued following the UAW's decision to kick off a strike Monday, the Teamsters said it will "stand with" the UAW by not crossing "a UAW picket line...Our 10,000 automotive transport members will not deliver GM cars" from plants to dealerships in the U.S.

Teamsters spokeswoman Leslie Miller said the Teamsters handles delivery of GM cars from plants to dealers. She said the auto maker may try to get help from non-Teamsters-represented delivery services but it may find trouble finding nonunion people with needed capabilities.

"Workers should not solely bear the brunt of decades of bad business decisions by GM management," Teamsters President James P. Hoffa said. "By outsourcing good jobs and creating a growing environment of economic and job insecurity, GM has failed its workers and its customers."

This is especially significant, given that the Teamsters are part of the Change to Win federation that broke off from the AFL-CIO two years ago. Not that I expected anything else, but it's good to know there will be no meaningful inaction.