Pay has been one of the biggest issues at the battery plant, which is supplying GM EVs such as the Cadillac Lyriq crossover and the 9,000-pound electric Hummer pickup. The Ultium workers make half the top wage at GM’s assembly plants.
That has also made Ultium a focal point for new UAW President Shawn Fain in this fall’s contract talks with Detroit’s carmakers. The UAW plans to organize factories making EV parts and Fain has said that raising wages at battery plants will be a top priority as contract talks heat up.
At the current wages, “there is terrible turnover,” Fain said in a recent interview. “There are people trying to hold out as long as they can but they came in and told our bargaining team they can’t wait any longer.”
If the two sides finalize the pay raise, there could be a second raise coming in the new agreement for the plant’s workers this fall, the people said.
