UAW workers at American Axle & Manufacturing Inc. ratified a contract between the union and the company Thursday, union officials said, ending a 12-week strike against the Detroit supplier that rippled through the auto industry.

The landmark deal for American Axle drops the company’s labor costs to become more competitive and marks a painful turning point for workers who face adjustment to steeply lower wages.

The vote in favor of the contract at UAW Local 235 in Hamtramck — representing 2,000 workers — ensured that the deal would be ratified nationwide.

The UAW said 78% of workers nationwide approved the contract. In Hamtramck, 71% of workers voted for the contract — 1,172 in favor to 479 opposed, said Erik Webb, cochairman of the local’s election committee.

On Monday, union locals in Three Rivers near Kalamazoo and near Buffalo, N.Y., representing about 1,650 workers in all, ratified the deal.

The deal ends a strike that forced General Motors Corp. to shut or cut output at more thaAs workers voted n 30 plants, forcing the automaker — and as a result, several suppliers — to lay off thousands of workers. The lost production further weakened the nation’s economy, and the layoffs ensured Michigan would continue to have one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates.

I have seen several things blamed for the end of the strike.  One was the cost of gas and the demand for SUVs decline. The union lost its leverage, in part, because of the shift in U.S. vehicle sales toward small cars. The strike, took place just as production for American Axle’s bread-and-butter products — SUV and pickup axles — is declining. Automakers are cutting production of those vehicles as consumers turn to more fuel-efficient cars.

The strike is over and the workers have been screwed!  AGAIN!