Temporary Solution: GM Playing Hardball With Unions

(RTTNews) - General Motors Co. (GM) reportedly wants to hire more temporary workers at its US plants, according to Bloomberg.

The United Auto Workers and GM are set to negotiate a new four-year labor deal in the coming months.

"It will be a tough set of talks," said Harley Shaiken, a labor relations professor at the University of California at Berkeley. "GM is staking out tough ground going after healthcare and wanting more temporary workers. And all of this is in the context of closed plants."

According to reports, U.S. auto market is expected to decline for the second time in three years. GM has put four U.S. plants with 2,800 employees on death watch.

GM claims that workers at plants run by Japanese rivals Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. earn $50 an hour in wages and benefits, while GM workers earn $63 an hour.

GM seeks to hire more temporary workers at its plants who are paid less and aren't on the same health care plan. This will allow the automaker to offer job security for its unionized employees.