United Auto Workers members at the region’s two General Motors plants will have their say this week on the union’s tentative deal with the automaker.
Members of UAW Local 774 at the GM Town of Tonawanda engine plant are scheduled to vote Monday, while members of Local 686 at the Lockport components plant will cast ballots Wednesday.
Companywide, the UAW has about 46,000 members at GM facilities. That figure includes about 1,400 members at the Lockport plant and 753 members at the Tonawanda plant.
The UAW went on strike at selected GM, Ford and Stellantis plants for about six weeks before reaching tentative agreements with the automakers in late October. UAW members at the GM and Ford plants in the Buffalo Niagara region were not called to join the walkout.
The deals still need to be ratified in order to take effect. If approved, the UAW contracts with the Detroit Three would run through April 2028.
GM’s tentative deal with the UAW includes a pledge by the automaker to invest $300 million in the Tonawanda engine plant, for drive-unit production for electric vehicles. That investment would give the Tonawanda plant – which builds internal combustion engines – a clear connection to GM’s electric vehicle future, as GM aims to build an all-electric fleet by 2035.
GM didn’t pledge any additional investment in the Lockport plant under the tentative deal. But the automaker affirmed a previously announced $154 million investment in the site that would include production of stator modules for electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, UAW members at Ford plants are scheduled to finish voting Friday on the tentative deal with their employer. The UAW has about 56,000 members at Ford plants, including 749 at the stamping plant in Hamburg.
Workers at Ford’s stamping plant in Hamburg voted strongly in favor of the deal. Automotive News reported production workers at the plant voted 288 to 82 in favor, while skilled trades workers voted 183 to 45 in…
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