US automakers Stellantis and General Motors (GM) have reached tentative labor agreements with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union that could end a strike that began more than six weeks ago.
Stellantis and the UAW on Saturday said they had reached a tentative agreement that gives union members a 25pc wage increase over the span of the new contract, among other benefits.
The deal broadly matches what the UAW secured last week in its tentative agreement with Ford, the first Big 3 automaker to reach a tentative deal with the union. UAW members will return to work at Stellantis, as they did at Ford, while members review the agreement and prepare to vote.
The strike against Ford, General Motors (GM) and Stellantis began on 15 September. Prior to reaching the agreement with Ford, over 45,000 UAW-represented members were striking eight US assembly plants and 38 distribution centers across the three automakers.
Stellantis will restart its idled plant in Belvidere, Illinois, where it will produce a midsize pickup truck, according to UAW vice president Rich Boyer. Stellantis also committed to add 1,000 jobs at a new battery plant in Belvidere, he said.
GM also has reached a tentative agreement with the UAW, a source close to the matter confirmed on Monday.
The UAW on Sunday expanded its strike at GM to an SUV plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, adding to three other plants as well as numerous parts and distribution sites where workers have walked off the job.
Ford and the UAW on 26 October came to a tentative agreement that would stretch for four-and-a-half years, expiring on 20 April 2028.
The strike cost Ford the production of at least 80,000 vehicles, the company said in its third-quarter earnings call.
