Biden, UAW And Others React To GM’s $7B Investment In Michigan
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As GM Authority already covered at length, GM announced yesterday that it was investing a whopping $7 billion into its Michigan-based production facilities, including roughly $6.5 billion in electric vehicle production investments. The announcement makes for the largest single investment in GM history. Now, President Biden, the United Auto Workers (UAW) labor union, and others have weighed in on.
As a brief summary, yesterday’s announcement includes $4 billion to convert the GM Orion Township Assembly plant for production of the new GM all-electric trucks, including the Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV, a move that is expected to create 2,350 new jobs at the facility while retaining a further 1,000 jobs. GM and its joint venture partner LG Energy Solution are also investing $2.6 billion to build a third Ultium Cells battery plant, which will be located Lansing. Finally, GM is investing $510 million into its Lansing Delta Township Assembly plant and Lansing Grand River Assembly plant, supporting production of the next-gen Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave at the former, and new plant upgrades at the latter.
GM CEO Mary Barra
In response to the announcement, President Biden issued a statement, saying that GM’s investment was “the latest sign that my economic strategy is helping power an historic American manufacturing comeback. From day one, my Administration has been laser focused on making sure that America leads the manufacturing future of electric vehicles.”
Back in November, President Biden visited GM’s recently reopened Factory Zero plant, even driving the new GMC Hummer EV. Biden has also signed an executive order calling for roughly half of all new car sales to be electric vehicles by 2030.
President Biden
Per a report from The Detroit News, UAW leader James Harris praised the announcement, which includes retainment of 1,000 existing jobs at the GM Orion Assembly facility.
“Now, I can say, ‘Yes you do have a future and a career at this location; we do have new product coming and, no, you don’t have to uproot your family and relocate,’” Harris said.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also praised the announcement, saying that the investment would create 4,000 jobs and generate $35 billion in economic opportunities over the course of the next few years.
Governor Whitmer
“As governor of the state of Michigan, I will and our Legislature will work with anyone who wants to put Michigan first. We rolled up our sleeves to get this investment over the finish line. In decades to come, we’ll electrify the world,” Whitmer said.
The announcement was also earned praised across the aisle, with Republican State Representative Mark Tisdel saying that “GM’s planned investment is a sign that our state is equipped to expand our business horizons and shape opportunities for working families.”
However, the announcement was not without its critics, with Democratic State Representative Abraham Aiyash tweeting “GM will be getting nearly a BILLION dollars in taxpayer money for jobs that will likely pay only $36k a year with no guarantee of a union or benefits. The art of the deal.”
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