Arlington UAW strike may be in final days
ARLINGTON (CBSNewsTexas.com) - General Motors reached a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers on a new labor contract.
It could spell the end of a nationwide strike against the Big 3 Automakers that's stretched more than 6 weeks.
It's been six days since 5,000 GM workers in Arlington walked off the job and onto the picket line. But now that the UAW has reached a tentative deal with the automaker, this strike may be in its final days.
The news of the potential agreement comes after the UAW reached a deal with Ford and Stellantis last week, leaving GM as the last holdout.
The deal reportedly includes a 25% wage increase across 4-and-a-half years with cost of living adjustments.
When workers in Arlington began to strike last week, it brought to a halt production of some of GM's most profitable vehicles.
Union leaders said they would remain on the picket line until GM conceded.
Workers we spoke to said they're hopeful that the tentative agreement will allow them to reap the benefits of GM's profits.
"There's a lot of people from the outside looking in that don't realize the seriousness of this," said Derrick Flowers, a GM worker on strike. "The things that we've lost in the past, we're just trying to get some of that back in the future and also for our future employees."
Mary Barra, the GM Chair and CEO released the following statement regarding reaching a tentative labor agreement with the UAW:
"GM is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with the UAW that reflects the contributions of the team while enabling us to continue to invest in our future and provide good jobs in the U.S. We are looking forward to having everyone back to work across all of our operations, delivering great products for our customers, and winning as one team."
Last week, GM called the escalation of the strike unnecessary and irresponsible.
The GM agreement won't be official until UAW's national council and members ratify it, but, if approved, employees would likely return to work sometime in November.
And until the ink is dry, workers say production will stop and the picketing will continue.
"I'm hearing rumors, but nothing for sure," said Todd Chapman, a GM worker on strike. "I'm not going to take it until somebody tells me to go home ... Nothing's written in stone yet."
Workers say they hope this historic strike is sending a message that negotiations were about more than the money.
"A lot of people don't realize what's really going on," Flowers said. "We're not just out here throwing up signs because we're greedy or we want extra money or better benefits, but there's a reason behind everything. We've lost a lot, and we're trying to get back a lot of the things that we lost."
