UAW union sues GM over plan to shutter plants

Feb. 26 (UPI) -- A labor union filed a federal lawsuit against General Motors on Tuesday, alleging the company breached the terms of a labor contract.

The United Auto Workers labor union filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio over GM's alleged failure to comply with a collective bargaining agreement, from late October 2015 to around mid-September 2019.

Under the agreement, assembly plants should not be "closed" or "idled" during the contract period.

The UAW alleged that the company's plans to "unallocate" one plant each in Ohio, Maryland and Michigan before contract expires in September violates the agreement because it equates to closing or idling the facilities. The company announced its decision to "unallocate" the three plants in November.

The UAW said in its lawsuit that "conditions may arise that are beyond control of the Company" that make compliance "impossible." However, the UAW alleged that GM's decision to end production at the three plants was not beyond the company's control.

The union is calling on GM to remedy the situation by continuing operations at the three plants.

"For UAW members in GM Warren Transmission Operations, GM Lordstown Assembly and in the GM GPS Baltimore plant in Maryland the UAW is determined to leave no stone unturned to make sure that their contractual rights are honored," UAW President Gary Jones and Vice President Terry Dittes said in a joint statement.