By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – About 1,800 auto repair workers are on strike today (Monday) on the Missouri side of the St. Louis region.
The strike comes after two unions rejected contract proposals over the weekend.
Mechanics at 61 new car dealerships rejected a three-year offer that they say called for employing less experienced workers at lower pay. Parts and service personnel say they disagreed with benefit reductions for new hires and inadequate pay raises.
Teamsters Local 618 president Rod Joggerst represents the parts and service employees. "The dealers did a lot of advertising in the last week or two about the $9.7 million they donated last year to charity. For them to come back and ask for take-backs and concessions is not right."
A spokesman for the auto dealers could not be reached for comment. Owners with vehicles in affected shops are encouraged to call those businesses for more information.