The United Auto Workers (UAW) tentative agreement with General Motors (GM) is back on track for ratification, as the voting results take a positive turn.
As of Wednesday, around 54% of the 30,700 autoworkers whose votes have been counted by the union support the deal. However, results are still pending at several small facilities and a crossover plant in mid-Michigan, which reported a 60% vote against the pact.
Previously, several major assembly plants in Michigan, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee, representing over 19,000 of GM’s roughly 50,000 union employees, voted against the deal, sparking uncertainty.
On the brighter side, GM’s Arlington Assembly plant in Texas, with 4,900 autoworkers, voted in favor of the deal, with approximately 60% of production workers and 65% of skilled trades union workers supporting it. Additionally, a joint venture battery plant, now included under the tentative agreements, received 96% support for the pact.
Both the UAW and GM have withheld comments on the results until they are finalized. Voting is ongoing at Ford Motor and Chrysler parent company Stellantis, with early indications suggesting approval of the deals. The voting process is expected to conclude by Friday.
The UAW reached separate tentative agreements with each automaker, so the fate of one does not hinge on the others. These deals include significant elements such as 25% wage increases, the restoration of cost-of-living adjustments, and various other benefits.
However, some UAW members, particularly veteran workers, have expressed dissatisfaction with the agreement, citing inflated expectations during negotiations. Despite challenges and disagreements, the vote’s outcome carries immense significance for both the UAW and GM, shaping labor relations in the automotive industry.
