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Ultium Cells LLC Worker National Labor Agreement Not Viable, According To Joint Venture

As GM Authority has been closely following, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and General Motors have been in the midst of contract negotiations since mid-July 2023. Now, Ultium Cells LLC – the joint venture between the Detroit-based automaker and LG Energy Solution – has claimed that there is no way its workers can be included in the national labor agreement.

According to a statement released on Ultium Cells LLC’s website, the joint venture says that it “does not see a viable legal or practical path to place Ultium Cells Ohio into the General Motors National Agreement.”

Photo of Ultium Cells logo.

This recent development comes after 28 U.S. senators, including the likes of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, urged the GM to recognize workers at the joint venture under national labor agreements before current contracts expire in September 2023. The senators criticized Ultium Cells LLC for paying low wages at its Ohio plant, and noted that workers make half as much as workers did at the former GM Lordstown assembly plant. More recently, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) also called on GM, Ford and Stellantis to fold all joint venture battery plant workers into the national UAW agreement.

If the Ultium Cells LLC workers were to be included under the current national labor agreement, they would likely receive better pay and benefits.

It’s worth noting that the UAW and General Motors have been back-and-forth in contract negotiations as of late, so much so that the labor union has been attempting to elicit the help of the U.S government. In fact, UAW Present Shawn Fain was in Washington for some time meeting various representatives, including a brief sit-down with U.S. President Joe Biden, in an attempt to garner more support.

As of the time of this writing, negotiations are ongoing, as the UAW is fighting for retiree benefits, cost-of-living adjustments, and unionization of the GM Ultium battery plants, among a wealth of other items. Notably, the labor union has stated that it isn’t afraid to strike if it doesn’t receive what it perceives as a fair offering.

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As a typical Florida Man, Trey is a certified GM nutjob who's obsessed with anything and everything Corvette-related.

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Comments

  1. GM a company w/negative brand equity is slowly slowly transitioning to Ultium branded everything and, like old Fisher Body, the contracts deserve to be union. Otherwise, shift manufacturing to Mexico, but don’t pay American workers less for what is probably the future of Chevy,GMC, Buick, Cadillac.
    In Japan, Toyota is union. In Germany, the union gets a voice in production and better benefits than anywhere in the World. Let’s not pretend GM just can’t afford union wages when rivals can. VW didn’t even fight unions in America but the dumb workers were brainwashed by anti union state govenor.

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  2. VW sources batteries from China. The reality is “green” is going to be mean a reduction in standard of living for the middle class. I’d like to see that apply to C-suite as well, but the fox is guarding the henhouse. One illustration of that was an article I just saw saying in 1 year the average CEO makes what their worker makes in a lifetime times 5. So the poor worker would have to live 5 lifetimes working to make what the CEO makes in ONE YEAR. It is out of control. I don’t see how it gets fixed either. I am a shareholder in several companies and I almost always vote against the compensation package. But of course it doesn’t matter as that is an advisory vote only. So the shareholders, the people who actually OWN the company can’t even force a pay cut of the C-suite.

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    1. Not true if the full 7500 is usable on the ID4 which supposedly it is on a friends car she just received….so either its a lie on sourcing or someones lying its made in NA battery wise too and materials.

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  3. Please remember the people that help make GM a great automaker. These union folks worked hard to make the company what it is today. GM should maintain this close relationship with the union workers. They will make you realize what it is to have quality workers that produce better produts.

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  4. I can guarantee you they don’t work as hard as people like me who has to work on and repair all of this EV non sense that is being forced upon us all. Sorry I just don’t have much sympathy for people that work on an assembly line, basically un skilled labor, making the amount of money they make and the demands the union is putting forth on these auto makers for the wage and benefit increases they are asking for is absurd.

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    1. We have no sympathy for people like you who look down on others. You are unskilled at life, do better

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  5. If you haven’t worked in a car or truck plant assembly line before then please be quiet! People work hard and their body takes a beating! It amazes me how people criticize Unions, when most of the companies they work for have union bases policies! Like your 40 hr work week, overtime pay, sick/medical leave ect…if wasn’t for the unions none of this would be in existence! That sad part is the mentality of thinking people shouldn’t get paid properly for their services! How much are your Limbs worth or your nerves in your body? The damage that is done is real! All of this comes with working long hours 6 to 7 days a week for years! As for skills their are plenty of people with skills! The fact that people believe that you should stay at the same pay rate for years and years is ridiculous, while the cost of living is sky rocketing! My question is why do people feel like they themselves don’t deserve a better wage, if they don’t have one? Instead of being negative and talking down people for what they have, make it happen at your place of employment and stop being brainwashed by the establishment telling you you don’t deserve it! You’re supposed to move forward not backwards and do stay stagnant!! Make it make sense!

    Reply

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