GE secures four-year labour deal with unions for 6,600 workers

By Alwyn Scott

NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Electric Co <GE.N> has clinched a labour deal with all 6,600 of its unionized workers in the United States, averting potential strikes that could have hit the ailing conglomerate's jet engine production, the company and unions said on Wednesday.

Voting in recent days, union locals approved a four-year contract governing electrical workers, machinists, steelworkers, autoworkers, Teamsters and engineers, the two sides said.

"We now have a ratified four-year labour agreement with all of our unions," GE spokesman Jeff Caywood said in a statement emailed to Reuters on Wednesday.

Representatives of the IUE-CWA, the union that took the lead in negotiations, were not immediately available to comment. A statement posted on Wednesday on the union's website said all locals had approved the deal and 77 percent of members had voted.

GE improved its contract offer after workers narrowly rejected an earlier offer last month.

(Reporting by Alwyn Scott; editing by Jonathan Oatis)