By David Shepardson and Joseph White
(Reuters) -Top United Auto Workers are close to a tentative agreement with Stellantis and will outline to local union officials on Saturday terms including reopening the automaker’s Illinois assembly plant, two people familiar with the matter said.
Stellantis shuttered its assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, early this year, leaving 1,300 workers without jobs.
UAW President Shawn Fain vowed to reverse the decision, and the union criticized Stellantis management over the issue in a lengthy video. The Biden administration and the state of Illinois have offered subsidies that could help re-tool the factory. Illinois acquired 170 acres of land adjacent to the assembly plant.
UAW is expected to unveil details of the tentative deal later on Saturday, which will have provisions on the use of temporary workers, the sources said, adding Stellantis has agreed to significant product commitment and investment.
Fain and other senior union leaders are expected to have a video conference with local UAW officials who will explain the contract terms to workers, the sources said.
The deal to reopen the Belvidere plant is contingent on expected state and local tax incentives, they said.
The deal is expected to include investments in other U.S. plants, including the Trenton engine plant, sources said. The plant, south of Detroit, is a 71-year old facility that builds six cylinder engines.
Talks with General Motors were ongoing. Negotiators for company and the union were expected to re-convene around noon after working into the early hours of Saturday morning, the sources said.
(Editing by David Shepardson and Joseph White; Writing by Sayantani Ghosh; Editing by David Gregorio)
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