GM strike finally ends as UAW members approve new contract

Source: Washington Post

Members of the United Automobile Workers union approved a new contract with General Motors, ending a strike that shuttered the automaker and sent nearly 50,000 workers to picket lines across the country, in what was one of the largest work stoppages in recent years.

The deal, which includes modest improvements in pay for new employees and promises that the company will bring full-time temporary workers on permanently, is on its way to being passed by GM’s 47,000 workers, according to recent tallies. About 58 percent of the 32,000 workers who have cast votes so far favor it, according to Automotive News. The UAW will release a final tally at the end of the day.

Workers will get an $11,000 signing bonus and some mandatory raises. Some of those who voted for the deal described it to The Washington Post as a successful compromise. “Every contract you’re going to have your issues,” said Martin Tutwiler, 42, a GM employee in Warren, Mich. “You’re not going to get everything you want. But you look at it as a whole and see if you can live with it.”

If a majority votes to approve the deal, workers could be back at factories as soon as Saturday, ending picket lines, which have been staffed round-the-clock by workers at GM plants from West Virginia to Texas.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/10/25/gm-strike-is-nearly-over-workers-are-voting-contract/