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Strike continues as local unions vote on tentative contract with General Motors

Tracy Samilton
/
Michigan Radio

Michigan UAW members walked the picket line in the pouring rain on Monday on day 36 of the strike against General Motors.Earlier reporting on this story:

Some of the strikers walking in front of Romulus Powertrain broke out umbrellas as they picketed, stopping on occasion to warm their hands in front of a fire burning in a barrel nearby.

Kenny Bowles notes that union members overwhelmingly voted to approve the contract at Saginaw Metal Casting Operations and at Warren Tech Center. He says some local unions will turn down the deal, but he still thinks the strike will be over on Friday when all the votes are counted.

"We're going to hang in there, but I think it's a wrap," Bowles says. "I think it's going to go through. It's not what everybody wanted, but it's not that bad."

The strike has been costly for GM and union members alike, as well as causing layoffs in the auto supplier industry. It's the longest strike against GM since 1970.

Tracy Samilton covers energy and transportation, including the auto industry and the business response to climate change for Michigan Public. She began her career at Michigan Public as an intern, where she was promptly “bitten by the radio bug,” and never recovered.
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