GM Union Workers Vote YES to UAW Deal: Controversial Vote Ratified!

GM Union Workers Ratify UAW Deal After Contentious Vote The United Auto Workers union has reached an agreement with General Motors after a contentious vote between its members. GM workers voted on the new contract on Wednesday, October 28 and ratified it by a narrow margin. This agreement ends a drawn-out contract negotiation which required overtime and marathon negotiations. Both parties had agreed to go into a period of mandated ‘cooling off’ after an initial agreement had reached impasse in September. The new agreement includes raises for members, investments into GM facilities, the preservation of seniority rights, new safety guidelines for factory workers, and other updates. GM will also be giving “signing bonuses” to all its union members. The agreement also includes the reinstatement of four-hundred temporary workers to full-time positions, allowing them benefits and protections.In exchange, GM workers pledged to improve efficiency and accept to pension changes at certain plants. This new contract was forged amidst political and economic pressures from both sides. Talks between GM and the union have been fraught with roadblocks since negotiations started in mid-September. The ratification of this agreement brings relief to a workforce strained from months of negotiations. GM CEO Mary Barra stated in a press release that “this agreement allows us to reward our hard-working employees, continue our product investments to the benefit of customers, and bring greater efficiency to our operations to the benefit of our investors and our business partners”. The ratification of this agreement moves GM and its unions further towards stability, and sets a precedent for any future negotiations.