CHICAGO, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Detroit Three automakers, namely, General Motors (GM), Ford and Chrysler, are fighting against time to reach an agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW), as Wednesday's midnight deadline is just around the corner.

GM and Chrysler's talks have been dealing with the big issues, including profit sharing, health care, signing bonuses and increased wages for second-tier workers at half the pay of veteran auto workers, reported The Detroit News on Tuesday.

Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said Tuesday that the company and the UAW are still divided on a number of issues, even as the current union contract is set to expire at midnight on Wednesday.

Sources disclosed that GM and Chrysler were getting close to an agreement. However, the talks of Ford, the only Detroit carmaker not to take government bailout money or file for bankruptcy in 2009, remained at the subcommittee level and the large economic matters were not yet on the table.

Mark Fields, president of Ford Americas, recently said that the automaker will "most probably" need to extend the four-year contract past the Sept. 14 expiration. Factory workers at Ford plants can strike if talks hit a deadlock.

GM took the lead among the Detroit Three to start the marathon bargaining session in July and each company would reach unique contract, depending on its needs and special circumstances.

Source:Mu Xuequan