LAS VEGAS – Issues ranging from safer working conditions to better productivity and vehicle quality top the agenda for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler Annual Meeting and Joint Conferences that begin Sunday for more than 1,600 delegates.

The union-management summit convenes here as leaders from around the country intensify joint efforts to bolster the Chrysler Group’s competitive position, restore sustained profitability and provide long-term job security for UAW members.

The conference will mark the first major public appearances of Chrysler Group executives Tom LaSorda and Frank Ewasyshyn following their recent promotions. Earlier this month, LaSorda was named chief operating officer and Ewasyshyn succeeded him as executive vice president of manufacturing.

UAW Vice President Nate Gooden, director of the union’s DaimlerChrysler Department, will team up with John S. Franciosi, DaimlerChrysler senior vice president of employee relations, to open the conference Sunday evening.

At Monday’s Annual Meeting, the most anticipated day of the week, Gooden shares top billing with LaSorda.

Under the banner "Work Together, Win Together," the meetings will continue through next Thursday at Bally’s.

In a barrage of presentations, top UAW and company officials will update delegates on the Chrysler Group’s new-product blitz, and provide status reports on a turnaround plan that helped to generate a $677 million operating profit in the fourth quarter of 2003.

The conference, coordinated by the UAW-DaimlerChrysler National Training Center, attracts a broad spectrum of union-management leadership. Delegates include local union presidents, plant managers, plant shop chairs, human resources managers, committeemen, stewards and labor relations supervisors.

For two days, efforts to rejuvenate the UAW-DaimlerChrysler Product Quality Improvement (PQI) Partnership will be in the spotlight. They will begin Tuesday at the Local Employee Participation Council (LEPC) Conference with an overview of major changes in the PQI process and reports on successful joint quality initiatives.

The PQI emphasis continues Wednesday with training for PQI and JAOP (Joint Activities Operating Principles) facilitators on the new process.

Worker safety will be another major theme for the week. The busy meeting lineup includes a Health and Safety Conference that starts Monday and ends Wednesday.

B.E.S.T. (Bringing Excellence to Safety Teams), a major initiative supported by the UAW and management, will be the focus of Wednesday’s LEPC session. B.E.S.T. is spearheading efforts that have dramatically improved the Chrysler Group’s safety record since 1999.

Other major speakers include General Holiefield, administrative assistant to Gooden, and the following Chrysler Group vice presidents: Steve Walukas, corporate quality; Dave Slates, manufacturing operations finance; Richard Chow-Wah, powertrain manufacturing, and Don Goodwin, scientific labs and proving grounds.

The conference ends Thursday with Employee Recognition Day, when individuals and locations are honored for achievements in safety, quality, delivery, education and art.

NASCAR fans among the delegates are looking forward to a Monday appearance by Ray Evernham, president and CEO of Evernham Motorsports. The National Training Center has teamed up with Evernham to co-sponsor the No. 9 and No. 19 Dodge Intrepids that race in the Nextel Cup Series.

In addition to more than 1,600 delegates, the meetings will draw enough guests to boost total attendance to nearly 2,300 people.