(Reuters) – General Motors and the UAW auto workers’ union have reached an agreement in principle ending the first simultaneous strike at the three historic Detroit automakers, which ends with unprecedented wage increases, said two sources close to the matter told Reuters.
Details of the agreement with GM, the last of the three manufacturers not to have dealt with UAW, were not immediately known.
This agreement follows those concluded in recent days by UAW with Ford and Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis.
US President Joe Biden, who presents himself as a defender of the working class and unions, welcomed the agreement.
“I think it’s great,” he responded.
A total of nearly 50,000 workers out of the 150,000 UAW members at the three Detroit manufacturers took part in the walkouts which began on September 15. The UAW’s strategy, which consisted of more than 40 days of targeted strikes, cost the three manufacturers and their suppliers billions of dollars.
GM employees will return to work after the deal is officially announced, two sources said.
A GM spokesperson declined to comment.
(Reporting David Shepardson in Washington and Joseph White in Detroit, French version Augustin Turpin)
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