Production resumed at General Motors Co.’s Wentzville Assembly plant Thursday after supplier Lear Corp. reached an agreement with UAW Local 282, ending a days-long strike, the automaker confirmed in an email.
GM declined to comment on how its operations were affected by the strike at the seat manufacturer, but Kevin Kelly, senior director of GM Corporate News Relations, confirmed a deal had been reached.
“Our supplier has reached a tentative agreement, and our focus is to resume regular production as quickly as possible for the good of our customers,” he said in a statement to Automotive Dive.
Lear Corp. did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
In a Facebook post Monday, UAW Region 4 said despite the bargaining committee’s efforts to reach an agreement during more than a month of negotiations, Lear Corp. failed to adequately address over 30 proposals related to working conditions and compensation. UAW Local 282 represents nearly 500 workers at the facility, according to the post.
Lear Corp., which manufacturers automotive seating and electronic systems, has 265 facilities in 38 countries that employ more than 186,600 people, according to its website. The company has 12 open cases relating to unfair labor practice complaints, according to the National Labor Relations Board.
"I'm proud of our UAW membership and their bargaining team for Standing Up against the billionaire class and, as Walter Reuther said, forcing this company to say yes when they wanted to say no," UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell said in a statement to Automotive Dive. "The tentative agreement reached by UAW Local 282 proves, once again, that when workers come together, fighting for fair pay, benefits and working conditions, corporate greed can be beat."
GM’s Wentzville Assembly plant builds mid-size trucks and full-size van models including the Chevrolet Colorado and Express, and the GMC Canyon and Savana, according to the automaker’s website. The 4.25 million-square-foot facility employs more than 4,600 people.
