Hey Post Reports listeners.

Here in Washington, D.C. at least, it's getting colder and darker.

And we're working on an episode about how to avoid the winter blues.

If you have a strategy to share, please send us a voice memo

to post reports at washpost.com.

Include your name and where you're calling from,

and you might hear yourself on the show.

Okay, now on to today's episode. This month the auto industry changed forever.

Through the power of our picket lines and the credible threat of even more strikes to come, we were able to wrench back so much

of what these companies have stolen from us over the past few decades. We won back our dignity as autoworkers.

After the United Auto Workers went on strike for six weeks,

they finally reached a deal with the big three automakers,

GM, Ford, and Stolandis.

Jean Whelan is a business reporter for the post and she's covered the contract

negotiations for months.

The United Auto Workers make up a large chunk of the auto industry in the

U.S. and they've just won really big wage increases for the first time in several decades.

And it's not just the wage increases.

They won other benefits too, like cost of living adjustments,

larger contributions to retirement plans,

and paid parental leave.

To Jean, this was a long time coming.

...