Last month, the Minnesota Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee held a hearing with testimony on Senate Bill 827 (SF 827) from allies and labor advocates, including Grant Whalen, a Technician and member of IAM District 77. If passed, the bill will order automobile manufacturers to compensate dealerships with labor hours used for non-warranty retail repairs when performing warranty repairs.
During the hearing, witnesses argued that the automotive manufacturers do not compensate dealerships with enough labor hours to perform warranty repairs. Technicians’ wages are based upon hours produced, and those inadequate warranty labor repair times are passed on to the Technicians.
IAM advocacy efforts have been led by IAM District 77 Assistant Directing Business Representative John Duerscherl who also brought together more than 20 IAM Shop Stewards to engage during the Senate hearing and to get the bill passed.
“We have to ensure that the voices of our members and all workers in Minnesota are heard,” said Duerscherl. “This legislation will guarantee that automotive and truck dealerships will be reimbursed for warranty repairs with labor times that the dealership would use when performing retail repairs, which ultimately will benefit Technicians and their families.”
IAM District 77 has worked jointly with Teamsters Local 974 to mobilize members to educate them about the importance of this Bill.
“IAM District 77 has been very vocal to ensure our members and all workers are compensated fairly for their labor,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Steve Galloway. “This important piece of legislation is not only important for our members, but to all the workers working in this industry.”
SF 827 was introduced by State Sens. Tou Xiong, Judy Seeberger and Aric Putnam.
