Members of United Auto Workers have approved a new labor agreement with auto giant Ford, the union announced late Friday. A preliminary agreement was announced on October 31, which averted a strike similar to the one at General Motors.

The new four-year contract includes a bonus of $9,000 for full-time union workers at Ford, bonuses linked to performance and two annual increases of three percent, UAW said in a statement.

Rory Gamble, UAW vice president in charge of the negotiations, said the deal would be "a life-changing contract for many and provides a template for all future Ford UAW members to a full-time, top-rate status."

"There will be no more permanent temporary situations and no more permanent tiers."

By the end of October, Gamble had indicated that the preliminary agreement was modeled on the new GM work contract, announced shortly before.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019