UAW vote on tentative agreement with General Motors too close to call
LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - United Auto Workers (UAW) for General Motors (GM) could be looking at heading back to the picket lines. The vote on a new contract is too close to call.
Workers at UAW Local 1753 voted in favor of the new contract with GM, but they said they are ready to walk out at any time.
In Mid-Michigan, Local 1753 was the only union to vote yes, and Local 602 and 652 voted no.
That contract would give them a 25% increase in the base wage through April 2028 and bring back cost of living adjustments. A supply chain professor at Michigan State University, Dr. Steven Melnyk, said those votes are too close to call.
“I think if it’s going to pass, it’s going to pass with a slight majority,” said Dr. Melnyk. “In retrospect, I think Shawn Fain has a really interesting problem in front of him, which is why the UAW and GM did not accept something like this.”
Melnyk said that the longer GM holds out, the more workers they might lose to Stellantis and Ford—so time is of the essence to get a deal done.
Local union leaders do not expect a walkout right away if the contract is voted down.
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