General Motors (GM) has agreed to incorporate battery manufacturing for electric vehicles (EVs) into its main agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union
The announcement was made by UAW President Shawn Fain, who confirmed that the union would not expand its strike against the Big Three automakers in light of this development
Fain highlighted that for months, they were told that including EV battery manufacturing in the agreement was impossible
This commitment by GM to utilize UAW workers for EV battery production is considered a significant victory for the union
Autoworkers had concerns about the shift to EVs, as many EVs are currently produced using non-union labor and outside of the United States
Initially, the UAW was prepared to call for a strike at one of GM's major plants in Arlington, Texas, but decided against it after this development
Fain expressed the importance of this achievement for the union members, emphasizing that the original plan was to replace engine and transmission plants with lower-wage battery jobs
The UAW intends for this success to also extend to negotiations with Ford and Stellantis
The strike was initiated by the UAW last month at a few facilities after failing to reach an agreement with the Big Three automakers when the previous contract ended, leading to 25,000 autoworkers going on strike
Fain underscored the strategic approach of the union to escalate the strike carefully and strategically, focusing on the pain points and moneymakers of the automakers to achieve their goals in negotiations