GM rank and file ratify labor deal, ending threat of a renewed strike

Rank-and-file members of the United Auto Workers union have approved their labor deal with General Motors, despite significant opposition that saw it voted down by workers at more than a dozen plants.

The deal reached between the union and the company on October 30 won the support of only 55% of membership who participated in the ratification process. But that was enough to ratify the deal, whose passage had appeared in doubt as recently as Wednesday.

The final results from all the UAW members at GM were posted on the union’s Web site Thursday morning. The union releases ratification results on a plant-by-plant basi s.

Rank-and-file ratification is needed before a contract can take effect. If workers had rejected the deal, it could have brought about a resumption of the strikes at the company.

As late as Wednesday afternoon there had been concern the deal might be voted down, according to people familiar with the ballot, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

But the outlook for deal approval changed after it was reported late Wednesday afternoon that 61% voted in favor of the deal at the Arlington, Texas, plant, GM’s largest factory. With that vote, the chance of the deal being defeated essentially ended.

The vote passed despite Thursday results showing opposition from 61% of the members voting at the Lansing Delta Township plant, one of the company’s Michigan assembly plants.

Voting is also taking place on the deals at Ford and Stellantis, which builds cars at its US plants under the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands. But the vote totals show 66% support among rank-and-file at both those companies, meaning they never quite had the same risk of rejection as the vote at GM.

Neither the union nor any of the companies had any immediate comment on the vote results, the final vote at GM, or preliminary votes at the other two automakers.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.