Saline UAW workers avoid strike minutes before deadline

SALINE, Mich. – A Saline auto parts plant avoided a potential United Auto Workers strike.

They reached a deal minutes before midnight with auto supplier Faurecia.

The union had told its members to prepare for strike assignments at 5:30 a.m. Thursday.

UAW Local 892 President Larry Robinson passed out a negotiations update Wednesday, which regarded the end of deadline extensions, concluding that, if there is no deal at midnight, "unless you hear otherwise, you should consider yourself on strike."

The Faurecia Interiors Plant in Saline is huge: 1.5 million square feet of auto parts production. About 1,800 blue and white collar workers toil on three shifts, building dashboards, center consoles and door panels for Ford's best-selling vehicles: The F-150, Mustang and Focus.

Faurecia is the world's seventh-largest auto supplier with 80 interior plants, almost half of that activity here in North America. The plant used to be a Ford parts plant, but was sold off during the downturn and purchased in 2012 by Faurecia.

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About the Author:

Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Plannerâ„¢ Professional.