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Kaptur Statement on Agreement Between UAW/GM

October 28, 2019

WASHINGTON — Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Co-Chair of the House Auto Caucus, released the following statement after General Motors (GM) and United Auto Workers (UAW) agreed on a negotiated contract, ending a 40-day strike by nearly 50,000 GM employees.

"Through collective bargaining, the United Auto Workers and General Motors have reached an agreement that workers and management can move forward with," said Rep. Kaptur. "General Motors' U.S. production anchors tens of thousands of middle-class jobs and billions of dollars of investment in communities across our nation, including in northern Ohio where GM has production in Parma, Toledo, and Defiance. With its world-class UAW workforce, GM's success represents real U.S. economic power in the manufacturing sector. The parties reached a compromise despite having to conduct negotiations on a very tilted global playing field and under market uncertainty caused by the Trump Administration's careless tariff impositions. It is my great hope that this agreement will help grow GM's market share and build wealth for every GM employee. As GM moves into its second century of existence as a US-based corporation, it is imperative that our workers and communities be treated with the dignity and respect they have earned. Our workers are the drivers behind America's greatness – ingenuity, integrity, and perseverance are central to their identity. While I am glad UAW's workers fought and won a better deal, I am disappointed the agreement does not include protections from future plant closures. Moving forward, it will be imperative that GM stand with their employees, employees' families, and the communities they call home by refusing to close additional plants and instead reinvesting in those that have been shuttered."