Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/auto-workers-walk-out-at-chrysler-reach-quick-settlement Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript More than 30,000 auto workers at Chrysler went on strike Wednesday morning, but their union reached a settlement with the automaker by the end of the day. Washington Post automotive columnist Warren Brown provides an update. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. JUDY WOODRUFF: Now, the short auto workers strike at Chrysler and what's at stake for both sides. Jeffrey Brown has our update. JEFFREY BROWN: As strikes go, it was a short one. More than 30,000 auto workers walked off the job at Chrysler at 11:00 a.m. this morning, but by 6:00 p.m., the union reported it had reached a settlement. For the latest, we turn to Warren Brown, the longtime automotive columnist at the Washington Post.Well, Warren, do we know yet what led to the quick breakthrough? WARREN BROWN, Washington Post: Yes, Jeff. Frankly speaking, what the Chrysler UAW wanted was pretty much the same pattern that GM had, which is a Voluntary Employment Benefits Association agreement that would shift a lot of the health care costs to a UAW benefits group, but fund it, you know, by the corporation.The quibbling, as I understand it earlier — it was actually more than quibbling, if you consider $11 billion — was over how much money Cerberus Capital Management was going to put into the Chrysler VEBA fund. And apparently there's been some agreement on that.Cerberus initially objected to the amount that the Chrysler UAW wanted to go into its beneficiary association fund, primarily because Chrysler is in a pretty bad position, in terms of product. They're relatively bereft of small cars. The Dodge Ram pickup, there's more than a 60-day supply. And the Chrysler Sterling, which was supposed to have been a bit of a hit for them, is now relatively flat.So, actually, on the one hand, Jeff, Chrysler, even though it didn't welcome the strike, and if the strike had gone on for a few days it would not have really hurt them so badly, because that way they can draw down their inventories of vehicles that they have overstocked now because of slow sales, but the question now remains: Is the amount of money that Cerberus Capital Management is agreeing, apparently, to put into the Chrysler UAW VEBA fund, is that going to do more than placate the UAW?By that, I mean, is it going to hurt any product development plans sorely needed by Chrysler? So that remains to be seen.