Lordstown, Ohio โ UAW Local 1112 members voted overwhelmingly to ratify their landmark contract at Ultium Cells, which makes battery cells for GM electric vehicles. The local contract, approved by 98% over the weekend, sets a new standard for the electric vehicle industry with strong wages and benefits and historic health and safety protections.
Ultium workers talk about the contract victory in a new video released today by the UAW. The video can be accessed hereand media outlets are invited to use the footage.
โIt allows me to move forward and move forward in life instead of living paycheck to paycheck,โ said Ultium worker Donald Bevly.
"This is setting a precedent that can be built on," said Chris Wyatt, an Ultium worker. "This is a guideline that any other EV plant can follow."
When Ultium opened in 2021, workers were non-union, earning just $16.50 an hour, and the electric vehicle industry was in a race to the bottom. But Ultium workers organized with the UAW in late 2022 and during the Stand Up strike, they were included in GM's national agreement.
By October 2027, Ultium production workers will earn $35 an hour, 112% more than before joining the UAW. The contract includes:
- 30% increase in three years for production workers
- Immediate bonus of $3,000
- Four full-time union health and safety representatives at the plant, as well as one full-time union industrial hygienist on site
"The benefits are simply the best I've ever had in my life," said Ultium worker Lori Lovitz. โPaid hospitalization, vacation pay. I have never had so many paid vacations. Job security."
Another Ultium plant is starting operations in Spring Hill, Tennessee, and battery plants that will employ tens of thousands of workers are being built across the country. The Ultium contract sets a powerful precedent for those facilities and for the entire electric vehicle industry.
For more details on the agreement, visit uaw.org/ultium
