Economy

UAW OKs Interim Deal at Ohio Battery Plant

Written by Ethan Bernard

August 28, 2023

United Auto Workers (UAW) union represented employees at battery cell maker Ultium Cells in Lordstown, Ohio, ratified an interim labor agreement over the weekend.

The UAW said the workers voted 895 to 22 to approve the agreement that will see their wages raised $3 to $4 an hour, “and provides thousands of dollars in back pay for hundreds of workers.”

The deal, announced on Aug. 24, comes after months of negotiations. The UAW said talks will continue for a complete first contract between its bargaining committee and Ultium, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution.

“This agreement is an important step forward, but it’s only the first step,” Shawn Fain, UAW president, said in a statement on Sunday. “We will keep fighting at Ultium and all EV plants to win the same strong pay and safety standards that generations of autoworkers have won at GM, Ford, and Stellantis.”

The union said Ultium Cells produces battery cells for GM’s growing electric vehicle fleet and is expected to qualify for more than $1 billion a year in federal tax credits when operating at full capacity.

Negotiations remain ongoing between the UAW and the Detroit 3 automakers. The current labor contract expires on Sept. 14 at 11:59 p.m.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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