Union workers have approved a four-year labor contract with Ford Motor, accepting wage increases and other terms nearly identical to the agreement reached with General Motors, the New York Times reported. The United Automobile Workers union announced Friday that the agreement had been backed by 56 percent of those voting. The pact calls for Ford’s 55,000 union workers to receive 3 percent wage increases in the second and fourth years of the contract and 4 percent lump-sum payments in the first and third years. Worker contributions toward health coverage are unchanged at about 3 percent of the total cost. The union reached the same terms with G.M. last month after a strike that shut down most of the company’s operations in North America for 40 days. It was the longest nationwide strike against General Motors in 49 years. G.M. has said that the strike will lower its operating profit in 2019 by about $3 billion.
