GM Woos Opel's Labor Chief in Revamping

For much of the past year, Klaus Franz has been a thorn in General Motors Co.'s side. Mr. Franz, the labor chief at GM's Opel, has blamed the European car unit's troubles on its American parent, saying GM was "filled with yes-men" and that it had a "centralized planning system worse than in [former] East Germany."

Now, GM needs to make nice with Mr. Franz.

The U.S. company decided in November to keep Opel and its sister British brand, Vauxhall, rather than sell control to a group led by a Canadian car-parts maker. To fix Opel's many problems, GM says ...