Mechanics at Chicago-area auto dealerships were back at work Monday after approving a four-year contract Sunday and ending a strike that was about to begin its eighth week.
The walkout, which started Aug. 1, involved nearly 2,000 mechanics at almost 140 new-car dealerships throughout the Chicago area. Many dealerships had to shut down repairs completely during the strike, and customers in need of warranty work or other more complicated repairs had to seek services elsewhere.
“We’re extremely happy that the strike’s over but extremely disappointed for the inconvenience that was put upon the dealers, the striking workers and consumers,” said Mark Bilek, spokesman for the dealerships’ bargaining committee.
The offer voted on Sunday was the fourth since the strike began, according to a news release from Automobile Mechanics’ Local 701.
The contract addresses a number of requests from the union that became major sticking points during negotiations. Mechanics will see their base pay increase two hours under the new contract and see wage increases.
“We made some proposals, we conceded on some proposals, and we finally agreed to something that was within our comfort level,” said Sam Cicinelli, spokesman for Local 701.
The terms of the contract are similar to those in separate agreements that about 70 dealerships entered into with union members after breaking ranks with the bargaining committee, according to the union.
The bargaining group, called the New Car Dealership Committee, presented the proposed pact to the union last week, days after the union rejected its “last, best and final” offer.
Both sides agreed to withdraw charges they had filed with the National Labor Relations Board alleging violations of labor law during the negotiations.
The return to work has not been completely seamless, Bilek said.
Most dealerships book appointments for repairs, and during the strike, they stopped scheduling work, he said. People have been putting off nonessential repairs, Bilek said, but it’ll take time to get cars back in the shop.
“It’s not like you just turn the light on and everything goes again,” he said. “It’ll be a couple days before things ramp up.”
At Bill Kay Buick GMC in Downers Grove, 10 mechanics are typically on duty, service adviser Mike Manning said, but five were brought back to start.
Like other dealerships, Bill Kay Buick stopped scheduling appointments during the strike. The mechanics brought back Monday were working on cars left by clients who took out loaners, Manning said.
Other customers were put on a call-back list, and as they come back, so will the mechanics.
“We had four or five sheets of call backs with about 30 names on each sheet,” Manning said. “That’s what I’ve been doing all day is pretty much calling back all my customers.”
Things weren’t completely smooth on the union’s side either, Cicinelli said.
The union filed a grievance with Cadillac of Naperville on Monday after the dealership allegedly told its union employees that it would keep the temporary workers it hired during the strike. A representative from the dealership did not respond to a request for comment.
