For GM employees in Langhorne, proposed UAW contract could be ‘life-changing’

A tentative agreement between General Motors and the union that represents its workers would bring significant wage changes for employees at a Langhorne parts distribution center, who have been on strike since Sept. 22.

If ratified, the deal would increase the entry-level wage for that location by nearly $10 per hour, top wages would also increase, and the progression from entry level to top wage would shorten.

It would be “life-changing,” for those in Langhorne, said Daniel Vicente, a regional director for United Auto Workers who represents members in western and central New York, New Jersey, and most of Pennsylvania.

UAW president Shawn Fain and vice president Mike Booth said Monday, in a Facebook Live announcement, that the deal was a major step toward eliminating pay tiers among unionized GM employees.

Parts distribution center employees have historically been paid less than workers at assembly plants, and the new contract would begin to close that gap, Vicente explained.

“The union did not fight hard enough for them in the past,” Vicente said. “This time we put our foot down.”

Last time UAW and GM negotiated, in 2019, they reached an agreement after a 40-day strike. While the national membership voted in favor of that contract, a majority of the Langhorne employees voted against it.

That deal was structured in a way that was more attractive to manufacturing workers rather than warehouse workers at parts distribution centers. It also offered better pay increases to those hired before 2015 than newer hires.

When the 83 Bucks County employees, members of UAW Local 2177, went on strike in September, acting president Charmian Leslie-Hughes said, “We are going to fight for everything we didn’t get the last time, and more. We’re not asking for anything crazy.” Leslie-Hughes started working at the GM facility in 2022.

“We make a steady amount of money every night for GM,” she said in September, adding that most of their 40-plus hours of work per week are spent on their feet.

Base pay for Local 2177 members was $16.67 per hour under the old contract. The highest-paid members, who were hired before 2007, made $31.78, according to the local.

The new entry-level wage under the tentative agreement would be about $25 per hour, Vicente said, and the top rate would be over $41 per hour by the end of the contract term in May 2028.

“GM is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with the UAW that reflects the contributions of the team while enabling us to continue to invest in our future and provide good jobs in the U.S.,” GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra said in a statement Monday. “We are looking forward to having everyone back to work across all of our operations, delivering great products for our customers, and winning as one team.”

A few steps remain before UAW members can vote on the contract. First, regional representatives will meet in Detroit to get more details and vote on whether to present the agreement to membership. If they vote to do so, that information will be distributed by Friday evening, and members will have regional meetings where they can learn more about the agreement before voting.

UAW members were also on strike at Ford and Stellantis. The union reached tentative agreements with those two automakers within the past week as well.

Targeted strikes on all three Detroit automakers started in mid-September, marking the first simultaneous strike on all three companies in UAW’s history.