GM offer yet to end supplier's strike

DETROIT -- There's hope among the striking workers outside of American Axle's hulking Detroit factory complex, but along with it come skepticism and fear.

The hope stems from General Motors Corp.'s surprise announcement Thursday that it will throw in $200 million to help end the 10-week walkout, which has crippled production of GM pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles.

The skepticism and fear come from workers who've spent hours of picket line duty talking about American Axle's quest to cut wages in half in order to match the labor costs of its North American competitors.

On Friday, everyone was waiting for news of what they hoped would be a sweeter deal than the ones they've been told about before.

"The seasons changed and we're still out here," said worker Jerome Lockhart, 34, of Romulus, just west of Detroit, who never expected the strike to last as long as it has.

The walkout by 3,600 workers against American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. began Feb. 26, back when it was cold and snowy on the walks outside the factories just north of Downtown Detroit.

Now Lockhart, sitting under a canopy for shade on a warm spring Friday, is thinking about how his family will get by if his pay goes from the present $28 per hour to $17, the last offer from the company before GM got involved.

"It's really going to be a difference in lifestyle," said Lockhart, whose wife works as an accountant. "It's hard to really say you're ready for it."

GM said the strike cost it $800 million in the first quarter, and through April, caused it to make about 230,000 fewer vehicles.