UAW strikers begin to pack up in Wentzville as union, General Motors strike tentative deal

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - At the Wentzville assembly plant, UAW Local 2250 waited for the official announcement from the union. Though they had heard the reports that the union had reached the deal, they remained on the picket line for most of the day.

Steve Celeste, a picket captain, said morale had been consistently high throughout the strike.

“Whenever you believe in a cause, it doesn’t take much to keep driving toward that cause,” he said.

The union took down their strike materials just before sunset, avoiding another night of striking through bitter cold.

Celeste itted that he and other workers were ready to return to the jobs but stressed that workers would picket again if the tentative agreement did not .

“We’re ready to go back,” he said. “But if we need to, we’ll be out here as long as it takes.”

Businesses in Wentzville were glad to see an end to the strike, too. Peter Venezia, the owner of Duke’s BBQ, said he and other business owners in town were anxious to have workers back to their jobs and going out to eat and shop with their families again.

“It’s the holidays; people are providing for their families,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll see the town flourishing again.”

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