GM-UAW contract nears union approval, Ford and Chrysler talks continue

This morning, 31 UAW Local branches around the country had reported the result of their voting with 28 voting in favor of the new General Motors-UAW contract while 3 of the union groups voted not to approve the new deal. According to Automotive News, GM’s largest plant - the Kansas City Aseembly plant – voted 57% in favor of the new contract while the Lake Orion plant saw similar voting results. The Lordstown Assembly plant in Ohio saw much more positive results with over 70% of the workers at the Cruze plant voting in favor of ratification.

Based on the results so far of the UAW Local voting, as voting ends today we can expect to see the General Motors new 4-year deal with the UAW fully approved and set. This means that the UAW can then fully turn their attention to the current contract talks with Ford Motor Company and the Chrysler Group after those two companies worked out month long extensions of the “old” contract while talks continue. It also means that UAW workers employed by GM can expect a nice raise over the next four years as the workers will receive around $11,500 more from the new contract compared to the old deal.

Reports indicate that the UAW has made more progress with Ford Motor Company than with the Chrysler Group, after there was some tension between Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne and UAW boss Bob King after King failed to show up for a planned face to face discussion between the two leaders about the new contract. Marchionne fired off an angry letter to King (click here to read more about the letter from Marchionne to King) and when the two were once again set to meet, it was announced that there had been a month long extension to the current deal.

Those close to the Ford negotiations have stated that the deal between the union auto workers and Ford Motor Company could be finalized for voting by the end of this week but with the nature of these labor discussions, it is hard to say for sure how long it will be before the Ford and Chrysler Group workers have new contracts.

Other GM News:
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The C7 Corvette to get 7-speed manual transmission
First Chevy Camaro ZL1 advertisements hit the web
A look at the most important terms of the new UAW/GM contract
The Cadillac ATS spotted testing on the Nürburgring
GM expects most 2012 Camaro ZL1 buyers to pick auto trans