General Motors (GM) and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union have reached an agreement to include battery manufacturing for electric vehicles (EVs) in their main contract, UAW President Shawn Fain announced on Friday.
This unexpected development in negotiations means that the union will not expand its strike against the Big Three automakers.
“We’ve been told for months that this was impossible,” Fain said.
“We’ve been told that the future of EVs meant compromising on worker rights. And now, we have proven them wrong.”
For the union, GM’s commitment to using UAW workers for EV battery manufacturing is a significant victory. Concerns have been raised among autoworkers about the shift to EVs, as many of these vehicles are currently produced using non-union labor and manufactured outside of the U.S.
Fain initially planned to call for strikes at one of GM’s largest and most important plants in Arlington, Texas. However, after this “transformative win,” he has decided against further strikes.
“The implications for our members cannot be overstated,” Fain said. “The original plan was to replace engine and transmission plants with low-wage battery jobs.”
“But we had a different plan, and our plan is succeeding at GM,” Fain added. “And we anticipate it will also succeed at Ford and Stellantis.”
The UAW initiated its strike last month at a limited number of facilities following the expiration of the previous contract with the Big Three automakers. Fain has called for additional strikes over the past two Fridays, resulting in a total of 25,000 autoworkers on strike.
During this week’s bargaining update, Fain emphasized the union’s strategic approach in escalating the strike to push Ford, GM, and Stellantis toward their demands in negotiations.
“Today is a perfect example of that,” Fain said. “We understand their vulnerabilities, their profit centers, and the plants they desperately want to avoid strikes at. And they know we still have cards to play.”
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
