WINDSOR, Ontario (Reuters) - Canadian Auto Workers President Buzz Hargrove said he was reserving judgment about Chrysler Chief Executive Bob Nardelli after the two met for more than an hour on Tuesday.
Hargrove said he left the meeting in Windsor, Ontario, with
assurances that Chrysler's new private owner, Cerberus Capital
Management LLC
"He said all the things that we would have anticipated a new CEO as saying," Hargrove told reporters after the meeting. "The jury is still out on whether or not they will have the capabilities of doing those things."
Hargrove had said earlier this month that he had been "surprised and concerned" by the Cerberus decision to appoint Nardelli as CEO just days after the private equity firm closed a deal to buy a 80.1 percent stake in Chrysler.
Nardelli, who left the top job at Home Depot Inc
LaSorda, a plain-spoken, fourth-generation Chrysler worker who remains the automaker's president and vice-chairman, has won high marks from union leaders for a collaborative approach to the company's restructuring.
"We've got to play the cards we're dealt. These are our cards and Nardelli is in charge of the team. Tom's still going to play a key role in the team so we'll see what happens," Hargrove told reporters at Chrysler's Windsor Assembly Plant.
"We just have to wait and see. The jury's still out," he added.
Hargrove said Nardelli had said, when asked, that he considered Chrysler's turnaround plan "on track," and offered his support for the union's position against what it considers unfair trade by Asian auto manufacturers.
"He agrees with us on the trade issue ... and that gives me
some confidence," Hargrove said. "He knows our market over the
past several years has been strong, yet GM
Chrysler is in the middle of a round of contract talks seen as crucial with its U.S. union, the United Auto Workers, as Detroit automakers seek major cost concessions.
The CAW represents about 11,000 Chrysler workers, including more than 4,800 at Windsor, which is dedicated to building the company's market-leading minivans, the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country.
The CAW contract with Chrysler expires in September 2008.
Chrysler lost $680 million last year and reported a nearly $2 billion loss in the first quarter. The company has said it does not expect to be profitable until 2008 under a restructuring plan in which it will cut 13,000 jobs.
Germany's Daimler
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