Separately, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union urged its members to lobby the White House by phone or email to ensure that workers and retirees are treated fairly in negotiations at both companies on new concessions, which are considered vital for the automakers' to survive.
"We need President (Barack) Obama and his auto task force to stand up for the interests of workers and retirees in these restructuring negotiations," the union said in an appeal on its Web site to members.The UAW represents about 26,000 workers at Chrysler and 62,000 at GM.
The union is under pressure along with bondholders and banks to help Chrysler and GM slash debt so they can restructure. The central issue for the UAW and the car companies is reaching an accord on restructuring the finances of a multi-billion-dollar retiree health care trust.The administration's task force does not believe Chrysler can stand alone and is brokering meetings this week in Washington and Detroit to see if a deal with Fiat is possible.
The administration has offered up to $6 billion to help finance the alliance that would give Chrysler access to Fiat's small car technology and the Italian automaker a platform for building light trucks and a robust network for selling its vehicles in the United States.Analysts and consultants have questioned whether the companies can close the deal and avert what most believe would be a certain Chrysler bankruptcy.
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