(C) Tennessee Lookout
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United Auto Workers successfully unionizes Tennessee battery plant • Tennessee Lookout [1]
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Date: 2024-09-10
Workers at Spring Hill’s Ultium plant voted last week to unionize with United Auto Workers. The company, a joint venture from General Motors and LG Energy Solution, approved the union, making the second UAW success in Tennessee this year.
In a UAW statement, the organization said the victory is proof that new jobs in the South will be increasingly unionized. The organization’s goals include securing higher wages and better benefits for workers, which union members have said they are excited about.
“This is a great day for Ultium workers and for every worker in Tennessee and the South,” Trudy Lindahl, a worker at Ultium in Spring Hill, said in the UAW statement. “Southern workers are ready to stand up and win our fair share by winning our unions. And when we have a free and fair choice, we will win every time.”
The nation’s largest federation of unions, the AFL-CIO noted in a statement that UAW has achieved two important successes in Tennessee in less than six months. In April, 4,300 workers at Volkswagen in Chattanooga became the first Southern auto workers outside of North America’s BigThree automakers – Ford, General Motors and Chrysler – to unionize. The AFL-CIO also pointed out management was on board for the latest Ultium vote.
“What makes this win even more inspiring is the fact that the workers faced no threats or intimidation from the company,” the AFL-CIO statement said. “We commend Ultium for its actions and respecting the rights’ of its employees. Simply put: good jobs uplift communities, and this win benefits the entire state of Tennessee.”
Ultium management responded to a request for comment with an email statement.
“Ultium Cells has recognized the UAW as the official union representing hourly team members at our Spring Hill facility,” Ultium said in the statement. “This recognition follows a previously agreed-upon and independently certified process. We believe this will support the continuity of operations, drive innovation, and enhance world-class manufacturing, further contributing to economic development in Tennessee.”
In March, Ultium shipped its first battery cells to General Motors, representing the culmination of two and a half years of work. The facility is a half-mile long, situated on Highway 31 between Spring Hill and Columbia. It will produce millions of battery cells for General Motors’ electric vehicles in the coming years. The first Ultium plant to go union is located in Lordstown, Ohio and opened in 2022. Their new contract went into effect in June this year.
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