UAW Gets Daimler-Chrysler Board Seat

United Auto Workers President Stephen Yokich gained new leverage over Chrysler Corp. and Daimler-Benz as Germany’s IG Metall union signed an agreement giving him one of its seats on the merged company’s supervisory board. After the $38-billion merger is completed this fall, DaimlerChrysler will be a German corporation with a supervisory board of 20 members, including three union members and seven other employee representatives. Separately, Daimler-Benz Chairman Juergen Schrempp sought to ease fears of job cuts in Germany because of the merger, telling shareholders at their annual meeting that the auto maker will add 5,000 new workers this year. Schrempp also boosted the company’s sales forecast for 1998, crediting strong demand in the United States.