UAW says GM will place all EV battery plants under union agreement

United Auto Staff president Shawn Fain introduced right this moment that GM has “leapfrogged” different automakers in strike negotiations by agreeing to put all EV battery plant employees below the union’s nationwide grasp settlement.

The UAW has been on a partial strike for 3 weeks now, contending that employees’ pay has not stored up with auto business earnings and government pay. The strike has coated the entire Large Three American automakers (GM, Ford and Chrysler (Stellantis)) concurrently, however the UAW is just hanging at some crops, threatening to develop the strike if automakers’ affords will not be appropriate.

Electrical automobiles have been in focus throughout the strike, as EVs have fewer components, and subsequently require fewer man-hours in meeting, which suggests the business might see job losses within the shift to EVs.

That is one thing a employees’ union would usually wish to keep away from, however for his or her half the union has by no means claimed it needs to pump the brakes on the EV transition, moderately that it needs to make sure a “simply transition” that takes under consideration employee pay and security.

For instance, UAW contends that common wages at battery crops are considerably decrease than common wages at different automotive manufacturing services.

This was the argument that led one GM Ultium battery plant to vote overwhelmingly to unionize in December. That plant then earned a 25% pay improve in August.

However now, it seems like all of GM’s Ultium employees will probably be coated below the union’s grasp settlement, per right this moment’s announcement by UAW president Shawn Fain (timestamped to start out of speech at 15:57):

The UAW had deliberate to develop its strike to GM’s Arlington Meeting plant, the place giant SUVs are made, however says that resulting from these concessions made by GM, it is going to pause the enlargement of the strike for now.

Fain mentioned that the UAW will struggle for comparable concessions from Ford and Stellantis, however that right this moment’s motion represented a “leapfrog” that places GM forward of Ford and Stellantis in making certain the “simply transition” UAW is searching for.