A new labor agreement has been approved by the United Autoworkers that may lead to the end of their unique labor agreement with GM?s Saturn Division. The deal was approved by a wide margin of the members who agreed to a Christmas bonus, a performance bonus, and raises, in exchange for allowing GM to layoff employees for the first time in Saturn history. The agreement also allows for both sides to continue negotiation towards a traditional umbrella contract for next year, with the current agreement remaining in effect for four years if those negotiations fail.
See Associated Press, The New York Times, December 14, 2003