UAW OKs Caterpillar Contract

The United Auto Workers union approved a six-year contract with Caterpillar Inc. on Sunday, their first deal with the heavy equipment maker since 1991.

The contract covers roughly 13,000 Caterpillar workers, most at plants in Aurora, Decatur and East Peoria in Illinois and at the company’s Pontiac, Mich., plant. It also covers smaller numbers in Pennsylvania, Colorado and Tennessee.

The vote at Local 974, the largest local covered by the contract, was 55% to 45% for the deal, UAW officials said.

“No way was it worth it,” Local 974 President Jim Clingan said of the often-bitter labor battle. The union must now work to rebuild after approving a deal containing many provisions that started the feud in the first place, including a two-tiered wage system and limits on overtime pay.