UAW member ratification meetings begin Saturday, ballots expected to be turned in by Oct. 25

Summary of tentative agreement online

DETROIT – A done deal between the United Auto Mobile Workers and General Motors is a step closer. 

Union leaders approved a tentative agreement Thursday. Now it is up to members to vote on the measure. 

Ratification meetings will begin Saturday, and ballots are expected to be turned in by Oct. 25. 

The strike will continue during the voting process.

A summary of the tentative agreement can be found on the UAW's official website here.

The Lordstown, Ohio plant remains closed. There are UAW-GM members here from the Lordstown, Ohio plant who are in Detroit and say they will not vote on the deal. 

On Sept. 16 nearly 50,000 UAW-GM workers went on strike. There is word that the Detroit-Hamtramck plant will be retooled for a new product. 

  Some terms of the agreement include the following:

  • Signing bonus of $11,000 for full-time employees 
  • A $4,500 bonus for part-time or temporary employees  
  • As for the annual profit sharing bonus checks: GM agreed to eliminate the $12,000 cap 
  • In pay raises --- 4% lump sums in years 1 and 3-- 3% pay raises in years 2 and 4
  • Health-care costs unchanged

One of the sticking points was a path for temporary workers, which there is now. Full-time temporary workers qualify for permanent status by Jan. 6, 2020. Part-time employees can qualify under certain rules by Jan. 1, 2021. 

They also get 40 hours paid time off and 24 hours unpaid time off to use. 

The in-progression walk to full-time pay comes now in four years.  By Sept. 24, 2023 permanent manufacturing employees will make $32.32 per hour.                 

General Motors enhancing retirements for certain older work groups. 

Right now there's a 60,000 signing bonus for 2000 production veterans and 60 skilled trades if they retire by the end of this year through the end of February.

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About the Authors:

Priya joined WDIV-Local 4 in 2013 as a reporter and fill-in anchor. Education: B.A. in Communications/Post Grad in Advanced Journalism