United Auto Workers Ratifies Lear Contract

United Auto Workers union members ratified by a 233-38 margin a Lear Corp. contract that provides a 43% raise over three years. However, the workers, who assemble seats in jobs that were once handled by General Motors workers, will still end up earning significantly less than the approximately $21 an hour that workers earn in most GM plants. Seat assemblers at the Lordstown, Ohio, plant now make $10.50 an hour. They’ll receive a $3-an-hour raise immediately, plus a 75-cent raise per year for two years, bringing their hourly pay to $15. The contract includes a 401(k) plan, health insurance and an average of 17 holidays a year. Lear is the world’s fifth-largest auto-parts maker.