UAW battery workers at Ultium in Lordstown win a breakthrough pay increase agreement

Lordstown, oh. – The UAW announced today that unionized workers at Ultium Cells, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, have won a remarkable agreement to immediately raise wages by $3 to $4 per hour, plus thousands of dollars in back wages for hundreds of employees. Workers. Ultium workers will vote on whether to ratify the interim deal in the coming days. The interim deal follows months of negotiations and a public campaign for the UAW to bring justice to electric vehicle workers at Ultium and across the country.

“After months of public pressure and worker organizing, Ultium was forced to take the first step toward economic justice for the workers who support GM’s electric vehicle future,” said UAW President Sean Fine. “When we fight hard, we can win big, and we’re not done fighting to set the standard for pay and benefits at Ultium and beyond.”

“This temporary wage increase is a victory for workers in Lordstown who have relentlessly organized themselves to combat dangerous working conditions and appallingly low wages,” said UAW Vice President Mike Booth. “But it still falls far short of what these workers deserve compared to the skill level their work requires, the working conditions they must endure, and the incredible value they produce for an employer that has huge taxpayer support. We’ve been clear with Ultium: this wage increase is just the beginning.

“Ultium workers deserve this immediate relief from the meager wages they have been earning. We will continue to support our members as we move forward in the fight for the wages and benefits that auto workers have won over generations,” said David Green, UAW District 2B Director. The race to the bottom is over!”

Ultium Cells produces battery cells for General Motors’ growing battery fleet and is expected to qualify for more than $1 billion annually in federal tax credits when fully operational. Workers at Ultium Cells won their union in a landslide vote of 710-16 in December 2022 – becoming the nation’s first workers to successfully unite at a large battery cell production plant. The workers organized in response to serious concerns about health and safety and poor wages.