Margins at other facilities have been slim.
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In spite of the overall results showing a majority of the members voted to accept the contract, the UAW is not declaring that the tentative agreement has been ratified. The agreement was hammered out by the UAW and GM executives early last week.
Another contentious issue has riled about 3,400 workers at four GM Components Holdings, who are paid less than members at assembly, powertrain and stamping plants.
Local Ford Lima Engine Plant employees had a strike vote in September and voted to have a strike, though local union officials said one wasn’t likely.
Should the contract be approved, entry-level workers would be moved onto the same health care plan as veteran employees in January 2016, as well as an $8,000 signing bonus for all full-time workers and $2,000 for temps.
But apparently, not all of GM’s workers agree. That happened in 2011, when the majority of skilled trades workers at Chrysler Group LLC (now Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US) voted against the deal. With over 4,000 members, the Arlington local carries a lot of weight.
Temporary workers have expressed skepticism about whether they’ll be retained long term.
Following a two-day NLRB hearing in Chattanooga, the parties agreed the UAW election for 164 maintenance workers could be November 12 and 13, or November 19 and 20, if the union’s petition gets the OK.
There seem to be a few objections among those voting “no”.
Workers at GM’s large Chevrolet Malibu sedan plant in Kansas City, Kan.,-represented by Ms. Hale-overwhelmingly rejected the deal.
The German automaker is opposing efforts by a group of workers responsible for maintaining and repairing machinery and robots at the plant.
Members of the UAW have deemed the tentative agreement “not ratified”. At Wentzville and Spring Hill, at least 60 percent of workers favored the deal, local media and social media posts show.
The union could ratify the deal without their support, go back to the bargaining table with GM, or call a strike.
Skilled workers appear to be rejecting the contract more than hourly workers, perhaps looking for a more lucrative deal. In so far as workers have voted for the deal, it is not because they have faith in the UAW.
“For Ford to say “We can’t afford the GM contract” would be tough”, he said.
“It’s real good for the company and it will be good for future profit sharing payments”, said Andy Bohner, a 57-year-old production worker at Flint Truck Assembly with 37 years of seniority. It’s unlikely to happen.
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“There are countless times they work together” on the factory floor, Butts said. He added, “They just want to keep GM’s costs down”. For GM investors, there’s no reason to worry quite yet.
