As GM Authority reported earlier this month, quite a few UAW workers at the Clarios battery plant in Ohio – who produce 12-volt batteries for vehicles manufactured by General Motors and Ford – were on strike. Now, after a standoff that lasted nearly two months, a resolution has been reached.
According to a report from Automotive News, the unionized workers of the Clarios facility ratified new contract agreements last Friday. Following just one day of negotiations, the tentative agreement passed with 78 percent for and 22 percent against.
“We are pleased that our represented employees ratified the agreement today,” U.S. and Canada Clarios Director of Communications Kris Sherman said in a prepared statement. “Our goal was, and is, to create an agreement that increases wages and provides work-life balance. The new contract includes a wage increase, a modern, flexible work schedule, and a significant ratification bonus. We look forward to bringing our employees back to work beginning Sunday evening. We welcome our valued employees back as we continue to advance our mission of making the world’s best batteries.”
It’s worth noting that the strike was originally implemented due to concerns of a proposed shift change to a 12-hour work schedule with no overtime pay. In the final agreement, that new schedule is limited to one production line, and is not mandatory.
Additionally, this was actually the third vote on a new agreement, as members shot down one in April 2023 and another in May 2023.
As context on the progression of the strike itself, approximately 400 workers went on strike on May 8th, 2023 after the first contract proposal was dismissed. Notably, the Clarios battery plant employs roughly 650 employees, and produces up to 150,000 batteries in a week.
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Comments
Does the union still pay them to be on strike? How can you be on strike for two months and only have one negotiation? I can see months if they had multiple negotiations first.
They were getting $500/wk in strike pay while the union kept agreeing to terms that they obviously weren’t going to accept.
“due to concerns of a proposed shift change to a 12-hour work schedule with no overtime pay”
So like, three 12s? That doesn’t sound too bad. A lot of people live beyond their means and want all sorts of overtime though, so I could see it being a tough sell to those guys.