WENTZVILLE, Mo. — The United Auto Workers Union has approved a new deal with General Motors. It's according to an informal tally of votes from across the country.
The agreement comes as members at several plants, including the one in Wentzville, voted against it.
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"I'm just glad to be back at work," Adams said.
Richard Adams is a regular at Duke's BBQ Shack in Wentzville. He's back for the first time in a while today.
When General Motors in Wentzville went on strike, Adam said he was laid off at LEAR Automotive, a company that makes seats for GM vans and trucks.
"It costs a lot of money, it had a hold on everything....bills and everything. I just had to depend on unemployment," Adams said.
He sees his struggles as coming to an end, now that GM Wentzville is no longer on strike.
Thursday, according to a poll tracker on the union's website, 55% of UAW workers ratified a contract with General Motors. Members at UAW Local 2250 declined to comment but told 5 On Your Side that voting could be finalized Thursday night, Friday night or Monday.
The new contract would give a 25% increase in base wage through April 2028. It would also raise the top wage by 33% with cost of living adjustments to over $40 an hour.
Peter Venezia owns Duke's BBQ Shack. He said since last month's tentative agreement, business has returned back to somewhat normal
"We've seen a lot of people coming back from the sub-suppliers of GM," he said. "As soon as it happened, they all went back to work, all the companies that support GM were ordering food from us. And we're seeing a lot of familiar faces come back."
Venezia's restaurant caters many lunches and dinners for GM Wentzville workers. He's just glad to see them getting what they've worked for.
"It's good all around for them to make more money. It all comes back into the community and it's going to work out well," Venezia said.
As for Ford, voting will continue through Saturday. Only two large factories need to cast their vote.
At Stellantis workers have voted 67% in favor of the contract/ Three large plants still need to vote.
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