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Hourly workers at GM joint venture to get a wage increase starting Monday

About 1,100 workers at General Motors' joint-venture battery plant in northeast Ohio got a raise starting Monday.

On Sunday afternoon, the UAW and Ultium Cells LLC confirmed that the union-represented workforce at the plant near Lordstown, Ohio, ratified an interim wage increase by an acceptance vote of 97.6%. The agreement, reached late last week, gives an immediate pay increase averaging 25% to all current Ultium Cells hourly employees. That means for someone at starting wage of $16.50 an hour, it is now increased to a little more than $20 an hour.

In addition to the hourly rate boost, all eligible employees will receive back pay for every hour worked since Dec. 23, when the workforce chose to unionize. Any current employee who has worked since that date can get $3,000 to $7,000 in back pay based on hours worked.

"There is still a lot of work ahead in the bargaining process, including a wage package which will not only be life changing for the hourly workforce, but transform our work from ‘just a job’ to a career," Josh Ayers, chairman of UAW Local 1112, which represents the hourly workers at the plant, said in a statement. "Ultium Cells can and should be a highly desirable place to work."

Ultium Cells is the joint venture owned by GM and battery maker LG Energy Solution. It makes battery cells for the EV batteries GM uses in its new EVs powered by the Ultium propulsion system. That includes the GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Silverado EV and Chevrolet Blazer EV, which started shipping to dealers late last month.

The hourly workforce at Ultium Cells voted to unionize the plant near Lordstown, Ohio, in December after the union and the company spent months at odds over the organizing process.

Ultium Ohio Plant Director Kareem Maine said the vote to ratify the interim wage increase reinforces that Ultium and the union are making progress toward a comprehensive agreement, "which will lead to a meaningful contract for our team members. This interim wage increase is a positive first step in the right direction.”

The UAW International said in a statement the interim wage increase passed by a vote of 895 to 22. It added that negotiations for a complete first contract will continue.

“UAW members at Ultium are proving that we can raise standards at the electric vehicle facilities coming on line across America,” said UAW President Shawn Fain in a statement. “This agreement is an important step forward, but it’s only the first step. We will keep fighting at Ultium and all EV plants to win the same strong pay and safety standards that generations of autoworkers have won at GM, Ford and Stellantis.”


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