Workers at the Ultium Cells battery plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee have successfully unionized, with a majority of the 1,000 employees at the facility signing cards indicating their desire to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) labor union. According to the UAW, workers organized without facing threats or intimidation. Ultium Cells LLC is a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution.
“Being unionized will help us reap the benefits as far as better healthcare, better pay, and overall, just having decency within the workplace – not just for us, but future generations,” said Ultium Cells worker Tradistine Chambers.
The new battery plant in Spring Hill began production earlier this year, and is the second Ultium Cells facility built in the U.S. The first Ultium facility, located in Lordstown, Ohio, began operations in 2022, and moved to unionized under the UAW in December of that year. Workers at the Lordstown plant secured a “breakthrough” contract in June, which includes “strong health and safety standards and life-changing wage increases,” according to the UAW.
“By 2027, the pay for Ultium Lordstown workers will. Be more than double what it was when the plant opened,” the union states. The contract is set to end in April of the 2028 calendar year.
“The Ultium contract in Lordstown sets a powerful precedent for Spring Hill and for the tens of thousands of new battery jobs that will be coming online soon across the South, including at Ford’s Blue Oval plants in Tennessee and Kentucky,” the UAW states.
The UAW took to social media to celebrate the unionization of the Spring Hill facility. “I think it’s going to be big and very beneficial to everyone involved,” said UAW member Frank Allen:
Battery workers are seizing their power! Today, 1,000 workers at Ultium Cells in Spring Hill, TN, voted to join the UAW. They are the second Ultium plant built in the US and the second to go union. The first was Lordstown, OH, in 2022. pic.twitter.com/dOlbED34if
— UAW (@UAW) September 4, 2024
Back in April, the UAW successfully unionized 4,300 workers at the Volkswagen facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee, marking the first unionization of Southern autoworkers outside the Big Detroit Three (GM, Ford, Stellantis).
The UAW ratified its latest labor contract with GM in November of 2023 after an historic 46-day strike that began the preceding September.
Comments
I hope that paying the workers a fair wage won’t cut into Mary Barra’s almost $30 million dollar compensation package.
I don’t mind paying for US rank and file workers.
Barra has reversed herself so many times to increase greatly GMs costs. Every expensive goof is a demerit.
Barra should do the right thing and take $3 million , not 30.
Lower the new car price, for starters by that much.
But you do realize the lower car prices is labor costs too! Though I would love to see what the Equiniox and Blazer EV cost breakdowns are across all labor vs parts used to make it.