Good observation brother and sister, unless you’re a member of the 2%…
Late yesterday General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) announced that employees at 55 UAW-represented sites across the U.S. approved a new four-year contract, ending the longest automotive strike in 50 years.
“General Motors members have spoken,” said Terry Dittes, UAW Vice President and Director of the UAW-GM Department. “We are all so incredibly proud of UAW-GM members who captured the hearts and minds of a nation. Their sacrifice and courageous stand addressed the two-tier wages structure and permanent temporary worker classification that has plagued working class Americans.” The new agreement provides GM hourly workers with better than average wages, benefits and a profit-sharing package.
The contract achieved most but not all of the demands, notably Lordstown will no longer be a GM plant. Hours later, UAW President Gary Jones said that the union will proceed with pattern bargaining at Ford where large areas of an agreement have already been reached weeks ago and were awaiting the GM pattern for completion.
The new, four-year agreement for GM’s hourly employees includes:
- 3% wage increases or 4% lump sum payments in each of the four years of the contract
- Retention of world-class health care coverage, preserving the current 3% cost to employees
- An $11,000 contract signing bonus for regular employees, and $4,500 for temporary employees
- Enhanced employee profit-sharing, including no cap on our employees’ ability to share in the company’s profits
- A clear path for temporary employees to transition to permanent employment after three years of service, beginning in January 2020 for eligible employees with accrued time.
GM’s planned investments of $7.7 billion in the U.S. include:
- The opportunity to bring an all-new electric pickup truck assigned to Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly – securing the future of the plant and creating the potential for future new products to be built in the city of Detroit
- More than $4 billion for additional vehicle programs and existing facility improvements across its U.S. plants.
- Additionally, GM is moving forward with opportunities for future investments and job growth in Mahoning Valley in Ohio. These investments are outside the national agreement:
- An opportunity to bring battery cell production to the area, which would create 1,000 manufacturing jobs
- The sale of the GM Lordstown complex to Lordstown Motors Corp., a new company that plans to build electric pickups for commercial fleet customers. Lordstown Motors Corp. plans to create 400 manufacturing jobs initially.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
UAW Members Okay Contract with GM. Ford Motor Next
Good observation brother and sister, unless you’re a member of the 2%…
Late yesterday General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) announced that employees at 55 UAW-represented sites across the U.S. approved a new four-year contract, ending the longest automotive strike in 50 years.
“General Motors members have spoken,” said Terry Dittes, UAW Vice President and Director of the UAW-GM Department. “We are all so incredibly proud of UAW-GM members who captured the hearts and minds of a nation. Their sacrifice and courageous stand addressed the two-tier wages structure and permanent temporary worker classification that has plagued working class Americans.” The new agreement provides GM hourly workers with better than average wages, benefits and a profit-sharing package.
The contract achieved most but not all of the demands, notably Lordstown will no longer be a GM plant. Hours later, UAW President Gary Jones said that the union will proceed with pattern bargaining at Ford where large areas of an agreement have already been reached weeks ago and were awaiting the GM pattern for completion.
The new, four-year agreement for GM’s hourly employees includes:
GM’s planned investments of $7.7 billion in the U.S. include:
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.