American Axle & Manufacturing (AXL) may be locked in a dispute with striking works over steep wage cuts, but that didn't stop the company's chief executive from receiving a nine percent raise. In fact, Dick Dauch's salary grew to an astonishing $10.2 million just after strikes by some 3,650 workers are now entering their fifth week. Other executives also received compensation amounting to $30 million for 2007.

American Axle has proposed cutting labor costs in the U.S. that now average above $73 per hour to between $20 and $30 in an effort to reduce costs and improve their bottom line. However, the union behind the workers rejected the proposal and charged that the company was utilizing unfair labor practices by withholding key financial information that could be used to justify higher wages.

The company's argument that it cannot compete with US factories that pay wages and benefits on par with major US automakers as its total wages now run more than three times that of competitors. But then, why aren't executives taking any of the cuts as well?