Today is a travel today for yours truly (heading to a "blue-green" conference in Pittsburgh) so my post is short and sweet. An update on the strike by the UAW at American Axle, via The Wall Street Journal, which reports that the sides will go back to bargaining tomorrow. Here’s what’s worth noting:

The UAW has a great deal at stake in the strike. It comes after it agreed to major concessions in new contracts last fall with GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC, and in new deals with two other big suppliers, Delphi Corp. and Dana Corp. In each case, the union swallowed cuts in pay for new hires and benefit reductions to help employers get back on their feet. Each of the three auto makers is losing money, Delphi is still in bankruptcy-court protection and Dana left Chapter 11 only recently after striking a deal with the union.

But in American Axle, the UAW is dealing with a bargaining partner that is profitable overall, although the company says the plants affected by the strike aren’t. And the union is trying to avoid giving in on wages and benefits to a relatively healthy company.

In a radio interview, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said American Axle chooses to "dictate" terms rather than negotiate and described the talks as a "one-way street."

"We have made concessions some never thought possible [with the auto makers]," he told WJR-AM 760 in Detroit. "After all of that, American Axle looks over and wants to take us to the cleaners. A line has been drawn in the sand, and that is where we are."