IUE-CWA members voted to ratify a new four-year national contract with General Electric. Seventy nine percent approved of the agreement.

"We are happy that the majority of members agreed with the national bargaining committee and Conference Board in recognizing the value that this contract brings to them and their families," said IUE-CWA GE Conference Board Chairman Bob Santamoor.

The pact will raise their pay 16 percent over four years. It will also improve health care benefits by adding coverage for preventive care such as routine physicals, screenings, and vaccinations.

The agreement affects more than 630 IUE-CWA members at G-E plants in Warren, Niles, and Austintown.