UAW Local 1112 has reached a tentative agreement at Ultium Cells in Lordstown, Ohio, where workers build electric vehicle batteries for GM vehicles.
The local agreement builds on the national contract that Ultium workers joined as part of the Stand Up Strike.
“Eighteen months ago, this company was on a low road path to poverty wages, unsafe conditions and a dark future for battery workers in America,” UAW President Shawn Fain said. “Ultium workers said, ‘Hell no,’ got organized and fought back. Now they’ve more than doubled their wages by the end of this contract, won record health and safety language and showed the world what it means to win a just transition.”
The 1,600 UAW members at Ultium Cells will review the details of the agreement and hold a ratification vote.
“Organizing to win our union took relentless persistence on behalf of hundreds of my coworkers at Ultium. Negotiating this contract was no different,” UAW Local 1112 Shop Chairman Josh Ayers said. “We want this agreement to become a cornerstone for current and future battery plants across the nation. First we planned. Then we took action. And now we have a tentative agreement to be proud of.”