GE Unions Approve New Contracts

Unions representing about 16,500 General Electric employees voted Tuesday to ratify new four-year labor contracts.

The new deals cover 9,300 IUE-CWA members at GE facilities in Kentucky, Massachusetts and New York and 3,480 United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America members, including those at the GE Transportation plant in Erie, Pennsylvania.

IUE-CWA President Jim Clark said his members approved the contract "by a strong 83.5 percent margin," while the UE union touted the continuation of health insurance subsidies and pension benefits along with wage increases.

"This ‘yes’ vote is good news for GE, the unions, our employees and ultimately, our customers," said GE Vice President Greg Capito. "We are gratified that our represented employees have solidly backed this contract that provides an excellent GE job package, while helping the company to continue to succeed.”

GE and the unions announced a tentative agreement last week just prior to the expiration of their current deals.