EV battery plant moves forward amid UAW strike

 

NEW CARLISLE, Ind.-- As workers begin digging up the ground at the site of the future electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in St. Joseph County, General Motors (GM) claims there are no concerns for the project despite the ongoing UAW strike.

“They’re out there doing work right now, they continue to bring equipment to the site, they’re continuing to bring people to the site,” said Bill Schalliol, executive director of economic development for the county. “There’s no indication things are going to slow down at all.”

As the UAW strike marches on, the future of electric vehicle production is called into question.

Ford-- one of the big three auto manufacturers the strikers are protesting-- is pausing work on its BlueOval EV battery plant in Marshall, Michigan.

The company claimed it wants to ensure it can run the factory competitively before it picks the project back up. But the Michigan Strategic Fund wants entice ford to resume construction at the BlueOval facility, so it's pledging to invest $65 million into its development and the future of the campus it's located in.

GM is also one of the big three, but this doesn’t concern Schalliol.

“[There was] some concern about the project partners, and just a bigger concern about how that [Ford] project was put together,” he said. “For us, we know that GM has got a good model, and we’re excited to be part of that family.”

Still, Schalliol is watching the strike closely.

“Lot of concerns in the UAW strike about how EV workers are treated versus regular auto workers,” he said.

This is because the workers that will create EV batteries in New Carlisle starting in 2026 could become members of the UAW.

According to the union, Ultium workers for an EV battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio elected to join the UAW. It’s possible the workers of this joint venture between General Motors and Samsung could do the same.

“How will all those things, at the end of the day, factor into what happens at the New Carlisle site?” Schalliol said. “So, we would probably anticipate higher wages for the workers, starting wages, and just some other contract conditions that probably will be enhanced versus where we are now with the project.”

Because it’s a joint venture, the New Carlisle plant workers would have to go through a unionization process once the facility opens, but they would be eligible to join the UAW at that time.

“Right now, they’re under the UAW umbrella. Part of the concern is as vehicles become more EV-centered, you need less workers, there’s less parts, there’s less stuff that has to be done to build a car or truck,” Schalliol said. “So, there’s a concern from the UAW that you won’t need as many workers. So, that’s all part of the strike too, is how the EV transition will play into the long-term workforce of the UAW.”

But in the meantime, the project is full steam ahead.

“They’re at the point where they just want to get working,” Schalliol said. “So, they’ve got a lot of dirt to move over the next couple of months before winter sets in. We’d like to be in a position that they’re putting steal up in February or March next year.”

A General Motors representative got back to ABC57’s request for comment as well, saying there is no impact on this battery plant at this time.