DETROIT, MI – After reaching a tentative contract agreement with General Motors (GM) on Monday, United Auto Workers (UAW) has announced their historic 46-day strike against Detroit’s “Big Three” automakers – GM, Ford, and Chrysler-parent Stellantis – is effectively over.
The agreement with GM sees the restoration of previously pulled cost-of-living adjustments and will result in an immediate pay increase of some workers by as much as 50 percent or more. In addition, the deal will see starting wages increased by 70 percent and top wages increased by 25 percent by 2028, with veteran workers seeing their hourly pay increased to $42.95 throughout the period of time the new contract covers.
This deal mirrors similar agreements that the UAW had previously struck with both Ford and Stellantis, ending the union’s strikes with the two companies on Saturday afternoon.
It would appear that a last-minute expansion of the strike against GM announced by UAW President Sean Fain – who ordered workers in Spring Hill, Tennessee, to join the picket lines this past weekend – was the “knockout blow” that finally broke the automaker’s back in negotiations.
The result is one of the most stunning contract victories since the sit-down strikes in the 1930s,” Fain said. “We were relentless in our fight to win a record contract, and that is exactly what we accomplished.”
GM CEO Mary Barra issued a statement about the end of the strike, calling it an “investment” in the company’s future.
GM is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with the UAW that reflects the contributions of the team while enabling us to continue to invest in our future and provide good jobs in the U.S.,” Barra said. “We are looking forward to having everyone back to work across all of our operations, delivering great products for our customers, and winning as one team.”
The agreement still needs to be ratified by the 46,000 GM UAW members, and it will be reviewed by the union’s national council leaders in Detroit on Friday.
Joe Mcdermott is a journalist, reporter and writer for SEARCHEN NETWORKS® as well as other independent news and media organizations in the United States. Joe works on a wide variety of topics and fields, has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, from local to national, and helps keep a keen-eye on what’s happening in the automotive world for Auto Buyers Market.