UAW Reaches Tentative Deal With ‘Big Three’

Oct. 31, 2023
The United Auto Workers have reached a tentative agreement with General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) have reached a tentative agreement with General Motors (GM), Ford, and Stellantis, the Detroit Free Press reports.

After reaching a deal with Ford this past Wednesday and Stellantis this past Saturday, an anonymous source familiar with the agreement said that a deal between GM and UAW was reached on Monday in the early hours of the morning after concerns with GM’s joint-venture battery plants were addressed.

What was predominantly holding up an agreement was how to include Ultium Cells LLC battery plants in a master labor contract. Ultium Cells is a joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solution and figuring out the language to form a master contract with it was a difficult task.

With the GM agreement, joint-venture workforces can vote on unionizing future plants and decide if they want their own contract or to be part of the master contract.

The GM agreement reflects the financials of the recent Ford agreement: a 25% wage increase throughout the 4.5-year contract and the return of the 2009 cost-of-living adjustment formula.

A UAW National GM council vote on the agreement will be held later this week, and if approved, will be presented by local leaders to general members for them to approve or reject. Local union leaders at Ford are also expected to review the Ford agreement with its members in the coming days for its members to approve or reject.

The ongoing strike affected auto shops across the country, limiting their access to necessary parts.

Though Ford and Stellantis strikes have ceased, GM still has several facilities on strike, including 18 parts distribution centers.