AUTOS

GM Opens Contract Talks With UAW: The negotiations between General Motors Corp. and the United Auto Workers on a new three-year contract began with conciliatory words but adversarial positions. The two sides have until Sept. 14 to maneuver through several contentious issues, including health care, wages and job security. Both sides were cautiously optimistic that a new agreement could be reached without a strike. The last walkouts over a national contract occurred in 1984 and spread to 25 plants over a two-week period.