Despite the investments, GM successfully negotiated the closure of three U.S. production sites. The biggest blow for the union was the closure of the Plant in Lordstown, Ohio. The last time it built the Chevrolet Cruze, the automaker cited it as one of two sites that were “unallocated” in the United States last November. Two other facilities, Baltimore and Warren Transmission, will also be closed. GM plans to invest $7.7 billion, which has created and maintained 9,000 jobs, according to the pages of the agreement obtained by the Detroit News. The 2015 contract included an $8.3 billion commitment. Members of the United Auto Workers agreed to a new contract with General Motors and ended a weeks-long strike that excluded the automaker and sent nearly 50,000 workers to picket lines across the country, which was one of the largest work stoppages in recent years. The deal ends a costly strike for both UAW workers and General Motors, which has become one of the longest resignations in GM`s history.
The ratification process requires a simple majority for the employment contract to go beyond the provisional phase. UAW and Ford, the second-largest U.S. automaker, will begin talks on Monday, the union said. Ford and the UAW said earlier this month that they had made “considerable progress” in resolving many negotiating issues. As part of the agreement, the Warren Tech Center will receive a new vehicle program, $200 million in investments and the maintenance of approximately 75 jobs. Lansing Delta and Spring Hill, Tennessee, assembly plants will receive a next generation of mid-sized SUVs worth $1 billion and 5,000 jobs. Auto workers were bitter to announce in November 2018 that GM had announced plans to lock down four U.S. plants, saying it was time for them to be rewarded after making concessions a decade ago to help the automaker recover from insolvency. GM declined to comment specifically on production in Mexico.
A spokesman said the company wanted all of its U.S. production to go to the bottom as soon as possible. These facilities will manufacture the parts to upgrade GM`s plants in Mexico. For now, the work stoppage is underway, although now that the UAW-GM National Council has sent an interim agreement to members, employees of GM suppliers may soon return to work. However, a ratified treaty is not guaranteed. Under the agreement, full-time workers who worked for three years or more would be permanently recruited from January.