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GM Ultium Workers in Tennessee Will Join UAW

Sept. 4, 2024

Six percent of workers in the state belonged to a union in 2023--well below the national average.

A majority of the approximately 1,000 employees at the Ultium Cells electric-vehicle battery plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, have signed union cards to join the United Autoworkers, and the company has agreed to recognize the union.

The Ultium Cells plant is a jointly owned venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution. It is the second of two Ultium plants in the U.S., the first being the Ultium plant in Lordstown, Ohio. Ninety-eight percent of workers at the Lordstown plant signed cards to join the union in December 2022 and ratified their first contract in June 2024.

Before the union was recognized, production worker pay at the Lordstown plant started at $15, but an immediate wage bump and then contract-negotiated increases over three years will bring their wages to $35 an hour by October 2027.

During UAW contract negotiations in fall of 2023, GM agreed to recognize Ultium Cells as part of the UAW contract, and workers then received an increase in pay of $6 to $8 per hour.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 6% of workers in Tennessee belonged to a union in 2023--well below the national average of 10%, but up from the state's 5.5% in 2022.

About the Author

Laura Putre | Senior Editor, IndustryWeek

As senior editor, Laura Putre works with IndustryWeek's editorial contributors and reports on leadership and the automotive industry as they relate to manufacturing. She joined IndustryWeek in 2015 as a staff writer covering workforce issues.

Prior to IndustryWeek, Laura reported on the healthcare industry and covered local news. She was the editor of the Chicago Journal and a staff writer for Cleveland Scene. Her national bylines include The Guardian, Slate, Pacific-Standard and The Root.

Laura was a National Press Foundation fellow in 2022.

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