About 4,500 United Auto Workers Local 2244 members have ratified a closing agreement for the Fremont, Calif., plant with New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI). In the March 18 ratification vote, members of Local 2244 approved the agreement by a margin of 90 percent.
NUMMI is scheduled to close the facility on April 1, 2010.
UAW vice president Jimmy Settles, who directs the union's Transnational and Joint Ventures Department, praised members of the Local 2244 bargaining committee for their hard work and solidarity. "We are all deeply saddened to see these operations come to an end," said Settles. "While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, the terms of this agreement will certainly help cushion the impact for our members."
The UAW and NUMMI reached a tentative agreement March 15.
"We are grateful to the members for the solidarity they've shown throughout this process," said UAW Region 5 director Jim Wells. "We also want to thank our brothers and sisters in the labor movement, community leaders and consumers across the country for the support they've given the NUMMI workers."
Toyota released the following statement following the ratification: “We are pleased that NUMMI and the UAW have reached an agreement and that the contributions NUMMI team members have made to this pioneering joint venture will be rewarded. In conjunction with this agreement, Toyota has committed approximately $280 million to fund substantial bonuses for NUMMI team members who continue producing vehicles through April 1. At Toyota, we have always based our relations with team members and suppliers on a philosophy of mutual trust and respect. While we regret the difficult but necessary decision to end our production contract with NUMMI, we believe we have done our part to help ensure a smooth transition for NUMMI team members.”
