UAW, GM Reach Tentative Agreement

(image courtesy of our partners at WPTA-TV)

The United Auto Workers union says it has reached a proposed tentative labor agreement with General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM). The announcement follows five weeks of negotiations between the two parties since the union went on strike September 15, affecting thousands of workers nationwide, including many in Indiana.

The union says the UAW GM National Negotiators voted to recommend the UAW GM National Council accept the agreement, which "represents major gains for UAW workers." The union says it is refraining from commenting on the details of the agreement until union leaders have had time to review them.

"The number one priority of the national negotiation team has been to secure a strong and fair contract that our members deserve," UAW Vice President Terry Dittes, director of the UAW GM department, said in a news release. "We are extremely grateful to the thousands of Americans who donated goods and helped our striking workers and their families. As we await the Council’s decision, please know that the outpouring of community and national support will be etched in the memories of all of us at the UAW for years to come."

The council will vote Thursday on whether to recommend the agreement to the full UAW-GM membership for ratification. The council will also decide whether to continue the strike until ratification or stop the strike upon the council’s approval of the agreement.

The union says the agreement will not be fully ratified until UAW-GM membership across the country votes to approve it.

The strike has affected some 7,000 UAW workers across four GM facilities in Fort Wayne, Bedford, Marion and Kokomo. Nationwide about 49,000 workers across 33 GM facilities have been affected, along with numerous GM suppliers.