General Motors (GM) workers are unionizing at a joint battery venture with LG after voting in favor of being represented by one of the country’s largest auto unions.
Employees at GM’s battery plant in northeast Ohio voted to unionize with the United Auto Workers (UAW) labor union on Friday, according to statements from the union in a report from CNBC.
The factory, located in Warren, Ohio, is a joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solution to build batteries for the latter’s vehicles based on the Ultium platform.
According to UAW, about 98 percent of workers voted to unionize, with 710 votes cast in favor of organizing, just 16 against, and one declared void. The results were later confirmed by the overseeing party, the National Labor Relations Board.
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The news comes after President Joe Biden has made pro-union comments, especially in respect of the auto industry, even snubbing non-union automakers like Tesla in discussions of a major industry shift to electric vehicles (EVs) last year.
“Our entire union welcomes our latest members from Ultium,” UAW President Ray Curry said. “As the auto industry transitions to electric vehicles, new workers entering the auto sector at plants like Ultium are thinking about their value and worth. This vote shows that they want to be a part of maintaining the high standards and wages that UAW members have built in the auto industry.”
In a statement about the vote, GM’s Ultium division said it will respect “the decision of our Ohio workforce supporting representation by the UAW. We look forward to a positive working relationship with the UAW.”
