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

by Mark Stevenson

Published: October 26th, 2015

let s make a deal gm uaw reach tentative agreement in 11th hour

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.

#GeneralMotors #GM #ProposedTentativeAgreement #TentativeAgreement #Uaw #Union #UnitedAutoWorkers

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9 of 12 comments

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.

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- 28-Cars-Later on Oct 26, 2015
  
  When its time for Ford, same deal?
  
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- Bball40dtw on Oct 26, 2015
  
  @28-Cars-Later Unless one of the UAWs demands is for Mark Fields to cut his mullet. Then we will have a prolonged strike.
  
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- Xeranar on Oct 26, 2015
  
  @28-Cars-Later Likely. In a weird way the manufacturers bring upon themselves. The UAW is always willing to negotiate the next contract but most manufacturers hope to end contracts to prolong the next one to make the retro pay raises negotiable points (i.e. if they don't have to pay you back pay for the difference than that 6 months is a win). In some cases they don't, in some they do, but by pushing the contract to the limit they feel they're in the position of strength.
  
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- Highdesertcat on Oct 26, 2015
  
  @28-Cars-Later When it is time for Ford, my bet is we'll see that the UAW saved the best for last. Ford is clearly the strongest financially of the bunch and Ford sales are projected to be excellent well through 2016 and early 2017. Ripe for the pickin'. And without employees taking any risks. After these extortions are successfully completed, well see a massive UAW assault on the transplants in the South.
  
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- Xeranar on Oct 26, 2015
  
  @highdesertcat You keep using the wrong words and I know you you know, but I feel it needs to be pointed out. Collective bargaining is a constitutionally legal right maintained through the Wagner Act and protected through countless court cases. Just because you think it's bad or wrong doesn't make it extortion, I know you'll never get that because you're a crotchety old right-winger who claims to be an independent but has shown zero aptitude towards anything of a left-wing persuasion. Stop using weasel words, HDC. I'm not going to Godwin this argument but you know damn well what you're doing....
  
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- Highdesertcat on Oct 26, 2015
  
  @Xeranar Xer, I don't think collective bargaining is bad or wrong IF a union goes about it the way that the TWU (airplane maintenance workers) goes about it. In case you don't know, the TWU is not adversarial but cooperative with their employers. I know several people who upon retirement from the Air Force went to work refurbishing and maintaining aircraft. Some work for the Depots of AA, Delta, Southwest, and other biggies. Then again, if a TWU member focks up, an airplane could fall out of the sky. There is no such sense of urgency with the UAW. To wit, the sloppy assembly over the decades, no doubt blamed on management by the UAW. BTW, why do you respond to my comments? I only respond to a comment if it is reply-worthy. I must really, really push your buttons with comments that cut to the heart of the matter that it gets you pissing mad! Hey, you're entitled to your opinion. If your opinion mattered, my comments wouldn't rattle you the way they do. And for the second time, I want to remind you that if I was a right-winger I would not have paid $4k for an abortion for my wife's niece.
  
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- 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.
  
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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....

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