General Motors Corporation (GM) Wednesday reached a tentative deal with the United Auto Workers (UAW) that has ended a two-day national strike, officials from GM and UAW have confirmed.
More than 73,000 UAW members joined the national strike, the first against the automaker in 37 years, after talks with their employer broke down over issues of job security and health care. The strike shut down 80 plants all over the United States.
The agreement, which is subject to union ratification and court approval, will create a GM-funded but UAW-run trust, so that the union will be able to take charge of retirees' health care, GM and UAW said.
"We feel very happy about this agreement," UAW president Ron Gettelfinger said after reaching the deal. The strike was called off shortly after the agreement was reached shortly after 3 a.m. (8:00 GMT) and some workers were able to return to work as early as Wednesday afternoon.
The agreement must be reviewed by local UAW presidents and will then be subject to a vote by GM's 74,000 rank-and-file members. The agreement is expected to set a pattern for contracts at Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC.
It was the first nationwide strike against the largest automaker over contract issues since 1970.
Source: Xinhua
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