United Auto Workers leaders discuss union deal with GM, including Ultium Cells employees
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and Vice President and Vice President Mike Booth discussed the union's tentative agreement with GM Saturday afternoon.
The UAW recently came to a tentative agreement with General Motors last month, after a nearly seven week campaign of coordinated strikes against the Detroit Big Three automakers by the union.
On Saturday, Fain and Booth took to Facebook to discuss the union's "historic" deal with GM, outlining the highlights of the deal they made with the automaker.
During the live stream, Fain said the proposed expiration date of the new contract would be April 30, 2028 and called the negotiations with General Motors "record breaking."
The negotiations include wage increases of 25 percent, and immediate 11 percent increase at ratification, and a three percent increase over the next three years with an additional five percent increase during the final year of the contract.
The negotiations also impact former Lordstown GM workers as well.
Under the new negotiations, Ultium Cells workers will now be under the UAW's national agreement with GM.
"The jobs at Ultium Cells are dangerous, difficult and pay low wages, but all that comes to an end in this agreement," said Fain.
Upon ratification, Ultium employees will become GM employees, and will be covered under the national agreement, with some locally bargained supplements.
There will be a six month window for former Lordstown members who were active on November 26, 2018 to apply to return to Ulitum Cells. Lordstown workers who transferred, will retain their current wages, benefits and seniority.
Production workers at Ulitum Cells will also receive an immediate pay increase of at least six to eight dollars an hour, and all employees will receive a ratification bonus of $5,000.
"After they said for months that it was impossible, Ultium Cells workers will now be under our national agreement. The significance of this can not be overstated," said Fain.
According to Fain, the union's negotiations with GM also made significant gains in ending wage tiers at the Big Three.
"At GM, we did more to eliminate wage tiers than at any of the Big Three," said Fain.
Upon ratification, all CCA, GMCH, Subsystems and Brownstown members will be placed on the production pay scale.
For the first time in the automakers history, the UAW salary bargaining unit and the hourly unit will both receive the same wage increase.
Cost of living adjustments were also reinstated, and, all GM retirees and their spouses will receive five payments of $500 annually ever year.
