Strike Avoided at Fort Wayne GM Plant

Source: Jim Vondruska / Getty

FORT WAYNE, IND — A strike at the General Motors plant in southwest Allen County, where full-size pickup trucks are produced, has been averted.

UAW Local 2209 announced Monday that an agreement was reached with GM management following disputes over work duties and the use of senior staff to cover vacant shifts by terminating 250 temporary workers.

Rich LeTourneau, Local 2209 shop chairman, accused GM of using senior staff to fill the positions of the laid-off temporary workers.

“The company is lean in headcount, and I’ve been saying that for months,” LeTourneau said. “Because they are lean, it does not give them the right to do our jobs. That was the main issue we wanted to resolve, and it was fixed. There will be repercussions if they continue to cross the line after this contract.”

Negotiations had centered on employment terms, with GM stating that the layoffs aligned with contract provisions.

“Protecting these manufacturing jobs moving forward will require all of us,” LeTourneau said.

The agreement, which averted the strike, was finalized Nov. 7