UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada said in a letter Friday evening to union leaders and shop chairs that the board had deemed the contract ratified. GM skilled trades workers aren’t eligible for a $60,000 early retirement incentive that GM will offer up to 4,000 eligible employees as part of the contract. GM joins Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in reaching a new four-year national agreement. It includes a signing bonus, and other lump-sum payments likely to add up to tens of thousands of dollars for each worker over four years. GM and the union have known since Nov. 6 that a majority voted to ratify the agreement but the no vote by skilled trades delayed formal ratification while UAW leaders met with skilled trades workers to hear their objections. Those meetings were followed this week with discussions between union leaders and GM's labor relations staff. General Motors had voted in favor of the deal earlier this month. On occasion they have also accumulated substantial overtime, according to its constitution, especially when installing new tooling to transition to a new model launch. UAW, profit sharing plan, was required to conduct meetings to learn why most skilled trades members opposed the agreement, which will provide each with an $8,000 signing bonus and raises over the next four years. GM competitive, while giving the company's traditional UAW workers their first wage increases in 10 years. Inflation eroded their real earnings over that time by about 20 percent.
