UAW reaches deal with GM, ending auto strike with big win for workers
The last domino has fallen, with UAW and GM reaching a deal to end the auto industry strike. Now, tentative deals have been met with all three auto companies, which means the strike is over.
The deal has not yet been confirmed by either GM or UAW, but it was first reported by Bloomberg and has been widely reported since. It comes just two days after GM workers walked out of the Cadillac Lyriq plant at Spring Hill Assembly in Tennessee.
As a result, we have even fewer details than with the last deals with Ford and Stellantis. In both of those cases, UAW posted a video going over some details of the deal, but in this case, they have not yet posted a similar video.
Bloomberg reports that the deal is “broadly similar” to the first two deals. GM has the most unionized workers of the Big Three, and retirement benefits were particularly in focus, so we’ll have to see what other specifics come out of that deal when it’s revealed.
But the basic details likely include a 25% increase in pay for all workers – which is a larger raise than all combined wage raises between 2001-2022 – plus cost-of-living adjustments. These cost-of-living adjustments used to be part of union contracts but were given up during the economic downturn, which started in 2008 and took until now for the workers to get back.
One unique part of the GM deal that we already know about is that GM has agreed to bring all US GM joint-venture battery plants under the union master agreement. This represented a “leapfrog” in negotiations from GM, putting the company in front of others in terms of their offer to UAW, but then GM ended up being the last to come to a final agreement.
And batteries were an important win for UAW because in discussions over this strike, interviewers have repeatedly tried to get UAW President Shawn Fain to badmouth electric vehicles and blame them for wage or job problems, but Fain has never taken the bait. Instead, he has always insisted that the UAW is looking for a “just transition” to electric vehicles that ensures workers still get treated fairly as the industry is upended.
Previously, battery workers had been paid significantly less than other manufacturing workers, though UAW had made progress on that front even before the strike began.
The deal with Stellantis also included a boost to electric vehicles. UAW got Stellantis to promise to reopen a shuttered plant in Belvidere, Illinois, and further to commit to building a new battery factory at the same site, which should add approximately 1,000 battery jobs that previously had not been planned.
While we don’t know the details of this deal yet, the process to approve it is likely to be the same. The deal needs to be finalized by union leadership, who will then present it to all union members by publishing it online and via Facebook livestream. Then meetings will be held, and the deal will be voted on by each local chapter.
But, in previous deals, UAW has directed workers to go back to work right away once the tentative agreement has been reached in a show of good faith that everyone wants to end this strike quickly. Leadership is confident that these deals are good enough that they will be ratified by members when the time comes and that everyone is eager to get back to work.
Unions have been having a bit of a moment in the US in the last couple of years as frustrated workers have started demanding more. The US has seen upticks in union membership, strike activity, and union popularity, with unions reaching their highest approval rating since polls began in 1965.
Several successful strikes have happened across the US economy, and UAW seems to want to bring this momentum forward into the future. To this end, UAW has invited other unions in America to align contract expirations around the same time frame, so as to inspire broader labor action.
The contracts UAW negotiated are expected to last 4.5 years until April 30, 2028. This is the day before May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, a day that commemorates the early labor movement in the US, but is more celebrated overseas than it is here. It seems clear that UAW is targeting much bigger labor action across the economy in the future.
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GM is recalling nearly 23,000 Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models due to a defect where the tire tread could fall off.
GM is recalling more Chevy Equinox EV models
In a letter sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), GM said it has decided to issue a safety recall for certain Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models from model years 2025 to 2026.
This time, it isn’t necessarily GM’s fault. The vehicles may be equipped with 21″ all-season tires that Continental Tire is recalling.
According to Continental, the tires were produced during the week of October 6, 2024, and may have a defect where the tire tread could partially or fully detach. The records show the defect is due to a nonconforming tread base rubber compound.
Owners of affected vehicles may notice unusual tread wear or bulging, vibration while driving, or tire noises. GM is unaware of any incidents related to the defect, but is issuing the recall out of an abundance of caution.
On September 18, 2025, GM inspected the assembly plant and confirmed there were no suspect tires in stock. The 21″ tires come standard on RS trims and are optional on LT1 and LT2 grades.
Although GM is recalling 22,914 Chevy Equinox EVs and Cadillac Optiqs, it estimates that only about 1% of them have the defect.
The recall includes:
- 2026 Cadillac Optiq: 214
- 2026 Chevy Equinox EV: 1,832
- 2025 Cadillac Optiq: 3,468
- 2025 Chevy Equinox EV: 17,400
GM dealers will check all four tires and replace them if needed, free of charge. Dealers were notified on October 16. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed out on December 1, 2025.
You can contact Chevrolet’s customer service number at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac’s at 1-800-333-4223. GM’s recall number is N252525030. Owners can also call the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit the nhtsa.gov website for more information.
The Chevy Equinox EV is now the third best-selling EV in the US, trailing only the Tesla Model Y and Model 3. Meanwhile, Cadillac’s entry-level Optiq SUV is the fifth-most-popular luxury EV. The recall is minor and only affects a small percentage of models, so it’s not expected to have a major impact.
If you want to test one of them for yourself, we can help you get started. Check out our links below to find available Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models near you.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s earnings madness, Rivian layoffs, Ford pausing F-150 Lightning, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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Some Tesla Cybertruck owners thought they were victims of vandalism, but it turned out that it was just a factory defect.
Earlier this year, amid Elon Musk’s controversial involvement in politics, there was a noticeable surge in vandalism against Tesla vehicles, particularly Cybertrucks.
Therefore, it’s not too surprising to see some owners worried that they were victims of vandalism when strange inscriptions appeared on their electric trucks.
Earlier this week, a Tesla Cybertruck owner posted on a Cybertruck Facebook group:
Any ideas how to remove a hydrochromic paint? Some person vandalized my truck. It only appears when wet.
The owner shared images of what he believed was invisible ink being used to vandalize his truck:
Several other owners chimed in and confirmed that they weren’t alone with this issue.
However, it is not vandalism. It’s a problem with Tesla’s protective film at the factory.
Another Cybertruck owner, Christian Maciel, had the same issue. He brought it to the Tesla service and shared the technician’s report.
The report mentioned “other owners report different initials (‘MPS’, ‘BLT’, ‘WC’)” showing up on the B pillar when wet – confirming that it is a widespread problem.
The culprit is an imprint from the factory protective film. Tesla wrote in the report:
Technician inspected the driver-side B-pillar and verified the presence of a persistent mark (‘BVT’) that appears when wet, confirmed as residue from factory protective film. The issue was caused by residue left after the removal of the factory’s protective film. Technician replaced the left-hand B-pillar applique to address the issue. The fix was validated by ensuring the mark no longer appears when the surface is wet.
They had to fully replace the part:
Tesla Cybertruck had about a dozen safety recall since going into production two years ago.
However, there are many more non-safety defects that led Tesla to conduct large-scale service of the Cybertruck.
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