AUTOS

GM Agrees to Hire 125 Workers, Address Safety Issues: In a deal similar to the one that ended last week’s strike by 11,500 auto workers in Michigan, the company has agreed to hire new workers at an Ohio transmission plant to settle complaints about production speedups and heavy overtime. A strike at the Toledo Powertrain Plant was averted when General Motors Corp. agreed Monday night to hire 125 employees, said Ed McNulty, bargaining chairman for United Auto Workers Local 14, which represents 4,100 people at the plant. GM also agreed to address safety issues at the Toledo facility, McNulty said. The plant builds transmissions for 11 U.S. and five foreign assembly plants. The new workers will be the first permanent factory hires for GM since 1986.