Canadian Workers Reach Accord With GM

General Motors Corp. reached a three-year contract agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers union, averting a midnight strike, the union announced in Toronto.

The union, which has 17,100 members at GM, already has new contracts with Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler’s Chrysler unit.

“This is a responsible agreement,” union President Buzz Hargrove said. John Buttermore, GM’s vice president of labor relations in North America, said the two sides “have a good agreement. These are troubled times in the auto industry.”

The agreement wraps up talks in which the U.S.-based automakers pressed for job cuts and efficiency improvements. The union secured investment in some Canadian plants while accepting reduced employment.