Nearly 1,000 members of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 1853 have voted to ratify their first local agreement with Ultium Cells, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, marking a major milestone in the growing push for unionization in electric vehicle (EV) battery production.
The agreement builds on the national contract that Ultium workers secured as a key victory of the 2023 Stand Up Strike, ensuring that employees manufacturing EV batteries receive wages, health care and job protections comparable to their counterparts in traditional auto manufacturing.
“When we voted to join UAW, I knew it would be a big deal. Now, I don’t have to worry about losing my job out of nowhere or going broke from a medical emergency,” said Derrick Kinzer, a worker at the Spring Hill, TN, plant and bargaining team member…