Hyperdrive
EV Battery Workers Push for Union in Fight for Industry’s Future
- Ultium Cells employs workers who came from unionized plants
- UAW is seeking foothold in two-day election starting Wednesday
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Anthony Russo left a $24-an-hour job with a Coca-Cola distributor for lower pay at the new Ultium Cells LLC electric-vehicle battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio. The facility is partly owned by General Motors Co., and he figured it was only a matter of time before the United Auto Workers came in and improved pay and work life.
He’s about to find out if he made the right bet, as the plant’s 815 workers decide whether to unionize in a two-day vote starting Wednesday. If the UAW wins, the union will establish a foothold in the growing business of EV batteries, which is currently dominated by nonunion Tesla Inc. and a handful of Asian producers.