This archive report was first published on 25 October 2019.
On October 25, 2019, a tentative contract between the United Auto Workers union and General Motors was set to be ratified, bringing an end to a six-week strike that had idled tens of thousands of workers.
Workers at several large G.M. plants had already approved the contract by considerable margins, raising expectations that it would be ratified when the final votes were tallied.
"I think it's a good contract," said Ashley Scales, a union member at G.M.'s truck plant in Flint, Mich. "There are people on all parts of the spectrum, for and against, but I think it will pass."
Under the terms of the contract, all full-time hourly workers would see their wages rise to the top level of $32 an hour over four years, putting an end to a two-tier wage system that had chafed workers. Each U.A.W. worker would also be paid a bonus of $11,000.
Health care terms remained unchanged, with workers paying about 3 percent of the cost, well below the portion paid by G.M.'s salaried employees.
However, the agreement also allowed G.M. to close three idled factories permanently, including one in Lordstown, Ohio, which was a major sticking point for some workers.
At the Detroit-Hamtramck factory, more than three-quarters of union members voted in favor, with the plant set to receive a $3 billion investment to upgrade and expand its operations.
With the contract ratified, the U.A.W. would restart negotiations with Ford Motor and Fiat Chrysler, seeking to win similar terms from them.
