General Motors (GM) has confirmed that it will convert more than 650 hourly workers from temporary to permanent employees by end of January 2021 as part of its 2019 contract with the UAW trade union. Most of the worker are at GM’s Flint Assembly plant, some of whom have been temporary for over four years. Many workers thought that the change would be delayed to March 2021 due to COVID-19.
GM said the temporary employees transitioning to regular full-time status will see improvements in their medical plan cost-share and they will add dental and vision coverage, company contributions into their pension, profit sharing and life insurance coverage. They will also get an immediate pay increase to either $19.50 or $21 an hour, up from $16.67 or $17.53 now.
The conversion is driven by the terms GM agreed to with the UAW in the 2019 national contract after a 40-day strike by union members. One of the biggest issues during the strike was allowing more temporary employees to become regular full-time employees, and this marks a significant victory for the UAW trade union.
