COPPERAS COVE, Texas — The United Auto Workers Union has been on strike since Sept. 15.
”It’s basically a typical dispute between management and labor over wages and the hours a various other things,” said president of the economic research company, The Perryman Group, Ray Perryman.
They are taking on the three biggest automakers in the United States, and doing it in stages, rather than one massive walkout.
”They seem to be doing it in ways that they hope will give them a strategic advantage. They cut out some of the parts suppliers in the second phase,” Perryman said.
"Then they tried to get some of the more popular brands of autos, so they're trying to do it fairly strategically as they go along.”
The problem with that second phase that Perryman mentioned, is the mechanics that need those parts to do their job.
”September is typically slower, but the last week for sure, we’ve seen some significant impacts on the way we conduct business,” said owner of Texas Discount Automotive in Copperas Cove, Bruce Hansen.
Hansen and his team at Texas Discount Automotive are in the business of fixing cars — cars that can’t be fixed without parts.
”We had a Ford pickup that needed a transmission replacement, and the transmission was not readily available,” Hansen said.
“We contacted the supplier and the supplier said four to six weeks. They called us up the next day and said that four to six weeks is no longer going to be valid — you're going to be looking at two to three months and they cited the United Autoworkers Strike.”
This is just one of several examples where finding the necessary parts has put repairs weeks behind — leading to thousands of dollars in lost business, and the customers paying for repairs are paying through the roof.
”An engine ended up costing that customer about $1,500 more than it would have if that dealer would have been able to order it out of the Dallas warehouse,” Hansen said.
“Again, he mentioned to me that I can’t order it out of the Dallas warehouse because they’re on strike — that’s a direct impact on the customer.”
Bruce and his team understand why the strike is happening, but want customers to understand the impact it's having on them.
The longer this strike goes on, the harder it will be for mechanics to get the parts they need to fix a car.
At Texas Discount Automotive, they're asking for a little patience in the process, and the UAW is seeking better pay and benefits as well as better hours.
