Work at GMCH secured in UAW contract
Kokomo facility guaranteed 150 jobs; retirees get annual bump
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United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 292 President Mark Stephens announced on Nov. 5 on the Local 292 Retirees Facebook page that General Motors Components Holding (GMCH) Kokomo was receiving 150 jobs in the newly negotiated national agreement. Stephens was in Detroit at the General Motors (GM) tentative agreement highlights presentation on Sat., Nov. 4.
The UAW GM highlights brochure spells out Kokomo specifically as one of the 25 negotiated corporate investments. The language states, "Within 12 months of ratification through the life of the agreement, sufficient work will be allocated to employ a minimum of 150 people."
In early 2023 GM had announced that no more work was slated for the Kokomo GMCH facility, and UAW employees were preparing to shut down in late September. The plant was down to 77 workers as of the beginning of the strike.
"One of the central goals of this round of negotiations was the elimination of tiers,” said UAW International President Shawn Fain. “Though we didn't get everything we wanted, we brought CCA, GMCH (Kokomo's plant), Subsystems, and Brownstown all up to the main rate."
Fain stated that the new rates for Kokomo's GMCH plant will begin immediately after the contract is ratified. GMCH and other GM employees also will receive a $5,000 ratification bonus. Current GM UAW retirees will get a $500 bonus paid each December starting in 2023 after contract ratification.
The UAW negotiated the right to strike over plant closings in this round of negotiations, the same as the other tentative Big Three contracts. This was particularly critical for the Kokomo plant. Early in August as negotiations started with the Big Three, Fain released a YouTube video of a surprise tour at the Kokomo facility, lamenting the loss of most of the jobs at the once thriving factories. The Kokomo facility, formerly Delco Electronics and Delphi Automotive Systems, at one time employed 12,000 people.
"The right to strike over plant closures, outsourcing, and investments was one of our top goals," said Fain. “We just showed everyone, even ourselves, the power of the strike."
Fain noted the right to strike was most important with GM as the automaker has closed nearly twice the number of plants in the last 20 years as Ford and Stellantis.
"Now plant closures are backed up by the strike threat,” said Fain. "And GM knows we won't hesitate to strike if we need to."
For more information on GM contract highlights go to