GM Workers OK Pact by Big Margin

Workers at General Motors Corp. overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract, the United Auto Workers announced Monday.

UAW President Owen Bieber plans to resume negotiations today with Ford Motor Co. They had been placed on hold for more than a month during the GM talks.

The vote on the GM-UAW pact was 86,032 to 21,461, the union said. Less than 36% of the 300,000 eligible members cast ballots.

The GM agreement contains three years of income guarantees for workers laid off because of slumping car and truck sales. GM has said it will spend up to $4.1 billion on income-guarantee programs in the new contact, compared to about $1.3 billion in the 1987 agreement.