Volvo Trucks, UAW again OK tentative deal

Volvo Trucks North America announced that the company and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union have reached a tentative agreement on the terms of a new six-year contract that would cover approximately 2900 employees at the company’s New River Valley (NRV) truck assembly operations in Dublin, Va.

Volvo Trucks North America and the UAW have announced a second tentative agreement that would end a strike at the company’s New River Valley plant in Dublin, Va.

The company said that further comment on the proposed agreement is being withheld pending ratification by the members of UAW Local #2069. Ratification meetings are currently being scheduled by the UAW.

This is the second time that the company and union have reached a tentative deal in what has become a long back-and-forth between the two. Negotiations began in February to reach a deal before the existing five-year contract expired in mid-March. Production stopped when the workers went on strike April 17, but the UAW employees returned to work May 3 after a tentative agreement was announced.

That agreement was subsequently rejected by the rank and file by a wide margin – 91% rejected the deal according to the local union’s Facebook page – but work at the plant continued while the company and union returned to the bargaining table.

The NRV plant employs more than 3300 people, about 2900 of whom are UAW members. The plant is in the midst of a $400 million investment for advanced technology upgrades, site expansion and preparation for future products, including the Volvo VNR Electric truck. Volvo Truck said the plant has added 1100 jobs since the last union agreement was implemented in 2016 and is on track to have a net increase of approximately 600 positions in 2021.