Caterpillar reaches tentative contract agreement with UAW

(25 News Now) - Caterpillar and the United Auto Workers Union have reached a tentative agreement on a contract, apparently averting a strike.

The UAW made the announcement on its website around when the previous contract expired at 12 a.m. CST Wednesday.

“The UAW’s bargaining team has reached a tentative agreement with Caterpillar Inc. before the contract expiration. Members at four locals in Illinois and Pennsylvania will review the tentative agreement and vote at upcoming ratification meetings. No details will be publicly released, and we will have no further statement until after those meetings.”

Caterpillar updated its website announcing the deal, saying the two sides had reached an agreement on a six-year contract.

“The union will schedule a ratification vote soon, and we will communicate the date. The current agreement will be extended until the voting is complete. We will communicate the results as soon as they become available.”

Cat and UAW bargaining teams have been meeting since early January.

Late last month, UAW members overwhelmingly authorized union leadership to call a strike if the two sides could not reach an agreement. The union also raised strike pay in case of a walkout, while the company said it intended to hire replacement workers so that Cat plants would keep running during a strike.

The last UAW strike against Caterpillar was in 1994. The strike lasted 18 months.

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