GM agreed to include battery plant workers in its labor contract with the union, a concession all three automakers claimed was impossible.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union did not further expand its Stand Up strike against the Big Three on Oct. 6, the end of the third week of work stoppages at select Ford, GM and Stellantis facilities throughout the U.S.
UAW President Shawn Fain made the announcement during a Facebook Live event, and also said the UAW had scored a “transformative win” in negotiations with GM, which has agreed to include EV battery plant workers in its labor contract.
Due to the breakthrough, Fain did not call on workers at GM’s Arlington Assembly Plant in Texas to join the strike, as he had planned. The plant builds GM’s full-size SUVs, a big profit center for the automaker. Fain also did not call on workers to strike at any additional Ford or Stellantis plants.
The UAW aims to make the same deal for battery plant workers with Ford and Stellantis.
"We have been told for months this is impossible," Fain said. "We have been told the EV future must be a race to the bottom. We called their bluff."
The win cannot be "understated," Fain said.
"The plan was to draw down engine and transmission plants, and permanently replace them with low-wage battery jobs," Fain said. "We had a different plan. And our plan is winning at GM. And we expect it to win at Ford and Stellantis as well."
Fain said negotiations with all three companies are ongoing, and have made major progress.
