General Motors announced it will pay for striking union workersâ health insurance, reversing a decision to push the costs onto the United Auto Workers union, as representatives from both sides said that the major issues in their dispute hasnât been solved yet.
âGiven the confusion around what was happening, we chose to work with our providers to ensure that the benefits would remain fully in place,â General Motors spokesman Jim Cain said on Thursday evening.
Officials from General Motors and the United Auto Workers union told reporters that no agreement was expected, even as negotiations were continuing and could continue into this weekend.
General Motors said that considering the complex nature of shifting health care coverage costs, the coverage of the United Auto Workers unionâs members had never lapsed.
However, the union had consistently accused General Motors of blindsiding its members with the decision to drop the health care coverage during the strike. Some workers had claimed they couldnât even pay their medical bills as a result.
âThere is no doubt that public sentiment sees these actions of GM as a shameful act,â the United Auto Workers vice president in charge of the General Motors department, Terry Dites, said in a letter to the automaker.
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