Stellantis Belvidere plant hires back nearly 165 workers

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Automaker Stellantis has hired back nearly 165 employees at the Belvidere assembly plant.

The workers returned to full-time positions at a nearby warehouse. About 115 of them are already back at work. The rest are training in Naperville and will transition to Belvidere next week.

Stellantis workers ratified a historic new labor deal in November, alongside UAW members at Ford and GM. The three deals, which cover a total of 145,000 UAW members, were reached after the union simultaneously went on strike at all three companies on September 15 in what would be the longest auto strike in this century.

Under terms of the deals matched at every company, workers get an immediate raise of at least 11%. The deal also guarantees additional raises, which together with a return of a cost-of-living adjustment could raise wages more than 30% over the life of the deal that runs through 2028. There were also improvements in retirement benefits and job security provisions.

The CNN Wire contributed to this report