Let's Make a Deal: GM, UAW Reach Tentative Agreement in 11th Hour

Mark Stevenson
by Mark Stevenson

General Motors and the United Auto Workers union reached a deal Sunday night, minutes before the union’s midnight deadline, averting any strike for now, according to the automaker.

The deal will be sent to the union’s UAW National GM Council for discussion and vote on Wednesday. The union’s national council is composed of local leaders. If approved, the agreement would head to workers for ratification.

Neither the UAW or GM released specific details of the agreement.

“We believe that this agreement will present stable long-term significant wage gains and job security commitments to UAW members now and in the future,” UAW President Dennis Williams said in a statement. “We look forward to presenting the details of these gains to local union leaders and the membership.”

A clear path to full pay for Tier 2 workers and a larger cut of GM’s record profits were some of the issues discussed during this year’s bargaining.

“The significant gains in this agreement are structured in a way that will provide certainty to our members and create a clear path for all GM employees now and in the future. The agreement not only rewards UAW-GM members for their accomplishments, but it protects them with significant job security commitments,” UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada said in a statement.

“The new UAW-GM national agreement is good for employees and the business,” Cathy Clegg, GM North America Manufacturing and Labor Relations vice president said, according to the automaker. “Working with our UAW partners, we developed constructive solutions that benefit employees and provide flexibility for the company to respond to the needs of the marketplace.”

The UAW represents 52,600 workers at General Motors.

Mark Stevenson
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  • Xeranar Xeranar on Oct 26, 2015

    Was it ever really in doubt? It's SOP to do this tactic and it isn't a surprise to see it used here.

    • See 6 previous
    • Xeranar Xeranar on Oct 27, 2015

      @Xeranar Sorry, I find your argument to be lacking in the empirical data department once again. Also before we go further lets be clear: When people claim that getting you irritated means that they have a bone of contention they're trying to defend their position with complete hogwash. I get irritated because I see you act like a know-it-all gasbag that uses their worldview to defend their entitlements while ignoring the mountains of evidence that is to the contrary. I'm not upset you're getting my goat (since you aren't). I'm upset that it's the same tired strawman arguments week after week. It's to a point where I realize we're never going to agree but I'm tired of being on the defense, I moved to the offensive on this comment, putting the onus on you to defend your wordage and you didn't. Plain and simple. By the way, I wrote that feeling high and mighty, not pissed at all. :) When you agree to a cooperative union but hate a hostile one, I can point at nearly every union in the book as both. It comes down to management's position that drives them in either direction. They're symbiotic, you can't just claim the guys YOU KNOW are better than the guys you don't know. It's at best anecdotal and at worst intentional bias.

  • 50merc 50merc on Oct 26, 2015

    Enviable pay and benefits, coupled with guaranteed job security. Why, you'd almost think GM is a government agency. Oh, wait....

  • Macca This one definitely brings back memories - my dad was a Ford-guy through the '80s and into the '90s, and my family had two MN12 vehicles, a '93 Thunderbird LX (maroon over gray) for my mom around 1995 and an '89 Cougar LS (white over red velour, digital dash) for my brother's second car. The Essex V6's 140 hp was wholly inadequate for the ~3,600 lb car, but the look of the T-Bird seemed fairly exotic at the time in a small Midwest town. This was of course pre-modern internet days and we had no idea of the Essex head gasket woes held in store for both cars.The first to grenade was my bro's Cougar, circa 1997. My dad found a crate 3.8L and a local mechanic replaced it - though the new engine never felt quite right (rough idle). I remember expecting something miraculous from the new engine and then realizing that it was substandard even when new. Shortly thereafter my dad replaced the Thunderbird for my mom and took the Cougar for a new highway commute, giving my brother the Thunderbird. Not long after, the T-Bird's 3.8L V6 also suffered from head gasket failure which spelled its demise again under my brother's ownership. The stately Cougar was sold to a family member and it suffered the same head gasket fate with about 60,000 miles on the new engine.Combine this with multiple first-gen Taurus transmission issues and a lemon '86 Aerostar and my dad's brand loyalty came to an end in the late '90s with his purchase of a fourth-gen Maxima. I saw a mid-90s Thunderbird the other day for the first time in ages and it's still a fairly handsome design. Shame the mechanicals were such a letdown.
  • FreedMike It's a little rough...😄
  • Rochester Always loved that wrap-around cockpit interior. The rest of this car, not so much. Between the two, it was always the mid-90's Cougar that caught my attention.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X [h2]1997 FORD THUNDERBIRD 2DR CPE LX for $7,900 with 127,000 kms at a local car lot. On steel rims. lol[/h2]
  • SCE to AUX "Very rare just need my money back out of it"Rare doesn't equal valuable, but luckily you might break even at the $1500 price.
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