General Motors Co. announced today that it would begin promoting hourly and temporary employees to full-time status. In a press release, the automaker announced that “more than 1,350 hourly employees” at U.S. factories will transition to full time employment this quarter. The employees affected work at 14 GM manufacturing plants and other sites across 8 states.
“Our employees are essential to meeting the needs of our customers, so providing these team members with an improved career-path forward has numerous benefits,” said GM’s executive vice president of Global Manufacturing, Gerald Johnson. Full-time employment with GM comes with a vision and dental plan, company contributions to a 401(k), life insurance benefits and profit sharing.
Last October, GM faced a UAW strike that lasted almost six weeks and cost the car manufacturer billions of dollars. As part of the deal ratified at the end of the strike, GM promised to invest more money in U.S. factories and introduce a path for temporary employees to become full-time workers.
In a statement released last week, the UAW announced that GM’s announced promotions combined with Ford’s would add up to more than 1,500 temporary workers transitioning this quarter to full-time status. The auto union also said that Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles is “still working to implement the changes.”
