The United Auto Workers on Friday kept its strike at the same facilities after what union president Shawn Fain called a “transformative win” at General Motors Co., which agreed to bring workers at its electric-vehicle battery plants under a future labor agreement.
The transition to EVs has been a major point of contention during the negotiations, with workers concerned that those employed at EV-battery plants, often joint ventures with foreign companies, would not be covered by a labor deal.
See also: UAW strike: More Ford, GM workers furloughed
“GM has agreed to lay the foundation for a just transition,” Fain told members during a webcast membership update.
A GM spokesperson said later Friday that negotiations are “ongoing.”
“Our goal remains to reach an agreement that rewards our employees and allows GM to be successful into the future,” the spokesperson said.
Fain said that the union had been ready to strike at GM’s Arlington, Texas, factory, a major “money maker” for the company, before the concession on EV-battery plants.
GM’s Arlington factory makes high-margin full-size SUVs that U.S. consumers have gravitated to for years. Vehicles built there include the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban, the GMC Yukon, and the Cadillac Escalade.
Ford Motor Co.
F,
last week paused work on one of its battery plants.
The strike started Sept. 14 at the end of the previous four-year contract. It has been expended twice and, unlike in previous years, has affected select GM
GM,
Ford and Stellantis NV
STLA,
plants and facilities, rather than only one company’s workers.
Fain said that the union is not done, however, with potentially expanding the strike. The companies “know we have more cards to play,” Fain said. “If they want to avoid further strikes, they will have to pony up.”
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