°®¶¹´«Ã½

As GM was nearing the expiration of its labor contract with the union last week, the carmaker sought to have hourly workers pay 15% of their health care costs, according to sources familiar with the talks. But by the time the company presented UAW with a deadline offer, GM walked back the proposal and called for keeping contributions steady at about 4%, said the sources.

General Motors Co. and the United Auto Workers remain far apart in their talks over a new contract, according to the union’s top negotiator, making it less likely a strike called Sept. 15 will end within two days like a previous work stoppage did in 2007.

DETROIT — More than 49,000 members of the United Auto Workers walked off General Motors factory floors or set up picket lines early Sept. 16 as contract talks with the company deteriorated into a strike.

On one side of the bargaining table will be union brass angry about plant closures and embarrassed by scandal. On the other will be auto executives sweating shrinking sales and risky billion-dollar bets to survive an era of disruption.

Navistar International Corp. and UAW announced Feb. 9 that the truck maker’s UAW-represented workers ratified a new four-year labor agreement. It replaces the contract that expired Oct. 1.