And they go on, and on, and on…

Negotiations between General Motors Corp (GM.N) and its major union ran through a fifth day of overtime on Wednesday, with the automaker suggesting a trust fund that would take over nearly $5 billion in annual health-care costs, according to a person familiar with the proposal.

Negotiations broke off for the night on Wednesday and were set to resume in Detroit on Thursday morning, a week after the UAW named GM as its strike target and shifted talks with the top U.S. automaker into high gear.

For GM, key issues in high-stakes talks include cutting health-care costs and establishing a “two-tier” wage system that would allow the top U.S. automaker to cut wage and pension costs as its aging work force retires, other people familiar with the talks have said.

To offset those concessions, the UAW has sought job security guarantees and a substantial signing bonus for the 73,000 GM workers it represents, according to these people, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to discuss the private talks.

A signing bonus? For signing the new contract? What the hell? Does the UAW actually think GM should pay a signing bonus to all 73,000 GM workers just for agreeing to the new contract? How much do they want?

Hell, at my job, I am lucky. I haven’t had a paycut since 2002. Forget about raises or other “bonuses”, I’m grateful just to have a job! No wonder my truck cost me so much.

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