2015 UAW talks unleashed frustration despite gains
Talks revealed changing culture of union membership and influence of social media
It was one of the longest rounds of UAW negotiations in recent memory with Detroit Three workers old and new expecting a rich contract to make up for years of concessions and union leadership failing to grasp the significance of thousands of new hires experiencing bargaining for the first time.
It was a potentially incendiary combination of variables that pushed what many thought might be a quick round of negotiations into extended innings with social media playing a central role.
UAW President Dennis Williams, right, poses for a photo with Anthony Walker of Kansas City, Kan., Local Union 31, as Dedire Hawkins, 49, left, of Kansas City, Kan., Local 31, takes their photo during day two of the 2015 Special Bargaining Convention at Cobo Center in downtown Detroit Wednesday, March 25, 2015. (Photo: Regina H. Boone Detroit Free Press)