GM and the United Auto Workers union reached a tentative deal on Monday, October 3, providing record wage increases to workers at both ends of the pay scale. The historic deal still needs to be ratified by voting members of the UAW but if it is ratified, not only will battery plant workers now be under the agreement but GM will invest more than $6 billion into electric vehicle factories.
According to the UAW, GM will be investing $4 billion into the Orion, Michigan assembly plant for future electric vehicles. The Spring Hill assembly plant in Tennessee will get $2 billion to build two GM EVs (one of which is the Cadillac Lyriq, which is already built there), and one future partnership EV. Hundreds of millions of additional dollars will be spent on other factories across the U.S. that build different EV components, such as drive units and castings.
There will also be an investment into the Factory Zero plant, which will build the Cadillac Escalade IQ, but the UAW doesn’t say what the investment will be.
Prior to this deal, GM’s Ultium battery plant workers weren’t represented by the UAW but now they will be under this new agreement. Former workers at GM’s old Lordstown, Ohio plant can also apply to work at the Ultium plant at the current wages.
Tensions between GM and the UAW are still high, with reports that GM CEO Mary Barra won’t even participate in the traditional handshake that accompanies deal agreements between the union and automakers. However, the UAW doesn’t seem too concerned with Barra’s frustration, or the frustration of any other automaker executive.
“The American people aren’t going to be shedding any tears over the Big Three having to share their record profits,” said UAW President Shawn Fain.
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