DETROIT—The United Auto Workers union and General Motors Co. have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract, avoiding a strike for now.
The UAW said the agreement was reached at 11:43 p.m. Sunday, 16 minutes before the deadline it had set to either reach an agreement or call a strike at GM’s U.S. plants.
Details of the proposed contract weren’t immediately available. The UAW said local union leaders will meet Wednesday in Detroit to vote on the tentative agreement. If they approve it, GM’s U.S. hourly workers will vote on it.
The agreement covers 52,600 U.S. auto workers at 62 GM facilities in the U.S.
UAW President Dennis Williams said the proposed deal will provide “long-term, significant wage gains and job security benefits now and in the future.” The union also hinted that this agreement — like a contract passed last week by Fiat Chrysler workers — gradually will eliminate a much-hated two-tier wage system in the plants.
GM said in a statement that the agreement benefits employees but still provides flexibility to the company. The company said it would not comment further until the agreement is ratified.
