About 55% of the 52,600 union workers at General Motors had voted in favor of the deal earlier this month. General Motors’ contract was approved earlier Friday after extended negotiations with skilled trades workers, including electricians, who had initially rejected it. The contracts cover around 142,000 workers in all. It applies to more than 52,000 autoworkers at GM and was ratified Friday after changes were made to address the concerns of the skilled trades workers.
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Bringing to a close a tumultuous negotiating season with American vehicle manufacturing companies, contracts were ratified by the United Automobile Workers with Ford Motor and General Motors.
The new pact gives Ford’s 53,000 hourly workers an $8,500 contract signing bonus, plus negotiators were able to procure a $1,500 advance on 2016 profit sharing.
The contract also guarantees $9 billion in investments at Ford’s USA plants over four years.
“This agreement provides a good foundation for Ford Motor Company, our employees and our communities as we work together to create an even stronger business in the years ahead”, Ford’s labor chief, John Fleming, said in a statement.
A rejection can be overridden by the union by skilled trades workers, but it cannot shift contract elements that apply to any or all members. “Through a rational and democratic procedure U.A.W.-Ford members have produced occupation protection and powerful economical increases for their families and communities”.
The results were released late Friday night after receiving tallies from a number of Dearborn plants represented by Local 600 which was the final unit to vote. It also includes eliminating the pay gap between veteran workers and newer hires over eight years and entry-level workers would be moved to the same health care plan as traditional workers. Even though they were outnumbered by production workers, who approved it by 58% to 42%, the union’s constitution required meetings to learn the strongest objections were that led to skilled trades rejecting the contract.
A few Ford workers pointed to the outcome at FCA as evidence that voting “no” would produce a better deal for themselves as well.
“If we thought there was another dollar on the table, we would’ve gotten it the first time”, Local 600 President Bernie Ricke said at a press conference Wednesday to counter the opposition. New workers, hired since 2007, will also more quickly receive full wages.
The UAW doesn’t have the clout it once did because as the Detroit Three have diminished through the decades, so has the union’s membership and power.
The deal, which essentially follows the routine first establish in the contract with Fiat Chrysler, additionally calls for 1,300 new skilled trades placements.
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The contract included bonuses of as much as $10,250 for each worker in 2015 and profit sharing annually as well as other types of bonuses annually following that.
