WEST CHESTER, Ohio — After a month-long strike, the United Automobile Workers union and General Motors have come to a tentative agreement to end it. 

  • It's been 31 days since members of the UAW walked off the production lines at GM plants in Ohio and across the country
  • Workers have been on strike for better wages and benefits
  • Employees are skeptical, but optimistic a new agreement can be ratified within a few weeks so the UAW members can return to work

The U.A.W. released a statement from Vice President and Director Terry Dittes shortly after: 

“We just reached a Tentative Agreement with GM a short time ago, today, October 16, 2019. We will go over the details when the Council meets tomorrow morning in Detroit. One behalf of the entire staff here in Negotiations, we want to thank you for your support. In the meantime, continue the picket lines until after the UAW-GM National Council concludes business tomorrow, Thursday, October 17, 2019, and then you will receive further instructions.” 

In West Chester, Local President of Group 674 Janet Billingsley said she’s taking the announcement with a grain of salt. But she is relieved to know the longest strike of her 42-year career with GM may soon be ending.

“We haven’t seen one like this one, this one was kind of nerve-racking,” she said. “You know, because we didn’t know. This was a do-or-die, to me, for the union. We had to stand our ground and stand here. If we don’t stand now, then we’re gonna fall.”

For Daniel Schmidt, an eight-year GM employee, the timing of the agreement couldn’t be better.

“It’s going to be a big relief,” Schmidt said. “For my family and I, we’ve been okay, but money’s getting short. We haven’t had to change our lifestyle too much, but that’s one of the concerns if this goes on longer. If it’s a good deal that everyone can agree on, it’s going to be a big relief for me and my daughters especially.”

While most of the workers in West Chester expect to return to work in a few weeks, they’ll still be out on the picket lines, standing their ground until the official word comes in.  

“We were here ‘till the end,” Billingsley said. “We were going to stay here as long as it took to get what we want. And we’re still here. So, until we know what we got, we’ll see.”