UAW members vote on tentative GM agreement this week

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — UAW members in Lansing are set to vote on a tentative contract deal with General Motors. A big raise is on the table for workers–but will it be enough?

Monday is the day for Local 602 members to cast their votes on GM’s tentative deal, and locals 1753 and 652 will vote on Tuesday. Some workers in Flint voted ‘no’ on the new deal last week. Tonight, it appears the contract is getting mixed reviews.

“It’s a great contract for us. It’s a great contract all around,” said UAW Local 1753 member Tony Fountain.

Fountain said he’s excited for national UAW members to come to Lansing on Monday and lay out the details of the tentative GM agreement. He said the union has a lot to gain this time around.

“Now we are actually no tiers. So the temps have a better contract coming in,” said Fountain. “The wages have been…basically, we’re at the same as the other plants.”

Their ratification process starts Tuesday when final votes will be counted. On Monday, GM workers at Local 602 are already counting their final votes. But while most are happy with the deal, others aren’t so sure. “It could’ve been better for [retirees], but it was good for me,” said Local 602 member Josh Ortiz.

Ortiz has worked for the Lansing Delta Assembly Plant for two years, and his parents have been there for more than 20. “They didn’t really get much out of it,” Ortiz said. “No raise in pension. Nothing for retirees. Makes me a little upset.”

Ortiz wouldn’t say whether he voted ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ But other workers at Flint Truck Assembly voted down the contract last week by a narrow margin–51%.

Fountain said he thought things would run smoothly at 1753. “Everybody here seems to be happy,” Fountain said. “And, you know, we’re just glad that it’s all done. And we’re back at work.”

According to a UAW schedule, Local 602 will wrap up voting at around 11 a.m. Tuesday. Local 652 will start its ratification process Tuesday at around 5 a.m.