International Truck and Engine Corporation and the leadership of the United Auto Workers union have reached a tentative agreement on new three-year labor contracts, the company announced today.
The tentative agreement is subject to ratification through a majority vote by the UAW members at the affected locations. Voting will likely be scheduled for this weekend, as specified by each local union. If ratified, the new contracts would replace the five-year agreements that expired October 1, 2007.
No details of the tentative agreement will be communicated publicly prior to completion of the ratification vote.
The current round of negotiations opened on August 27, 2007. On October 23, the UAW called a strike at the nine company locations that are covered by the expired contracts. As part of the company’s strategic production continuation plans, customer orders were shifted to International’s other locations for production to be completed. The production continuation plans will remain in place until the tentative agreements are ratified.
The UAW represents approximately 3,700 employees at nine International Truck and Engine facilities in Indianapolis, Ind. (engine assembly and foundry), Melrose Park, Ill. (engine assembly and engine engineering), Springfield, Ohio (truck assembly), Atlanta, York (Pa.) and Dallas (parts distribution centers) and Fort Wayne, Ind. (truck engineering). Total worldwide employment at the company is 16,000.