Report: UAW Workers Vote to Ratify GM Deal Ending 40-Day Strike

UAW members have voted to ratify a deal between the union and GM, ending a 40-day strike. The strike was the longest big-three work stoppage since 1970.

Although UAW negotiators agreed to the deal with GM tentatively last week, the ultimate decision on whether or not it would end the strike came down to members, of whom a simple majority had to approve for the deal to be ratified.

Still, the vote was a close one, with just 56% of members voting to approve the deal, according to Automotive News, making this one something of a squeaker.

Certain parts of the membership reportedly feel left out of the major gains achieved in the negotiations. Some union members working in GM Components Holdings, for instance, reportedly feel like they are only receiving crumbs.

Now that the deal has been approved, workers can return to work. Some workers could potentially get back to work as soon as Saturday.

With GM losing hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of the strike, according to some sources, and with workers having to survive on meager strike pay for more than a month, both sides are likely eager to back to work.

The deal ultimately represents $7.7 billion in investments throughout the US along with a faster path to higher wage brackets for employees, among other things.

It also means GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck plant will stay open thanks to a $3 billion investment. Three other plants, including Lordstown, are still set to be closed.

The UAW will reportedly next meet with Ford to negotiate their contract.