The 417-96 vote by members of United Auto Workers (UAW) of America Local 1832 means about 250 of the 750 people who have been locked out of the plant since Labor Day will be back on the job by July 1, according to published reports.

UAW filed a $3.5-million lawsuit against Paccar Inc., Peterbilt's parent company, in federal court in November, accusing the truckmaker of violating the federal Worker Adjustment, Retraining, and Notification (WARN) Act at the plant.

The suit said that some 500 members of UAW Local 1832, who received layoff notices on August 26, a week before the lockout and four days before the contract expired, were cheated out of seven weeks' worth of paychecks when the company locked them out.

Mike Pardue, president of UAW Local 1832, said the offer was not what union negotiators had hoped to gain from the company. But because of the extended time that employees have been out of work, union leaders did not make a recommendation on how members should vote, he said.

Plant manager Joe Scattergood said the five-year agreement is good for both management and labor. It is longer than a typical labor agreement, but it ensures there will be peace between both sides for a while, he said.

The plant will produce 12 trucks a day after production resumes next week. It was producing 36 trucks a day before the lockout, thanks to an increase in orders before new engine standards took effect in October, increasing the cost of large trucks by about $7,000.