The United Auto Workers Union has reached a tentative agreement with General Motors following another agreement with auto giant Stellantis on Saturday and one with Ford Motor Company last Wednesday.
The revelations came from anonymous sources close to the contract negotiations. The full details have yet to be made public.
According to CNBC, UAW autoworkers now have an average all-in hourly compensation of $88-$89, including benefits and pay.
The Detroit Free Press has more on the breakthrough at GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee plant after weeks of negotiations:
Despite marathon bargaining sessions with GM that ran into the early morning hours over the past few days, the two sides had been at a standstill, prompting the union to order the walkout at Spring Hill late Saturday and ratcheting up the pressure on GM to get a tentative agreement.
A GM spokesperson declined the Free Press’ request for comment. Union advocates portray the recent developments as a decisive victory.
The person familiar with the agreement said the main issue that was holding up a deal centered on how to include Ultium Cells LLC battery plants in a master labor contract between the UAW and GM. Ultium Cells is a joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solution, so the legal language to allow for a master contract was complicated.
Ultimately, the agreement with GM is a breakthrough because it will allow for the joint-venture workforce to vote on unionizing future plants and then decide if they want their own contract or to be part of the master contract. GM already is operating an Ultium Cells plant in northeast Ohio and it is building two more Ultium Cell plants: One in Spring Hill, Tennessee, and the other in Lansing, both expected to start operations within the next two years. GM will start building a fourth battery plant in northern Indiana with South Korean-based Samsung SDI next year and it will open in 2026.
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A UAW National GM council vote is expected later this week and if it approves the agreement, it will then go to local leaders to discuss with general members who will then vote to approve or reject the deal.
President Joe Biden briefly praised the UAW deal with General Motors while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. “I think it’s great,” he said, giving a thumbs up.
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