Automotive News - October 14, 2024 - 14

14 * OCTOBER 14, 2024
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For safer jobs, EV battery
workers need union contract
Shawn Fain
W
electric
vehicle
battery
industry
ramps up in
the U.S., we
have to ask:
How do we
make sure
battery jobs
are safe
jobs?
Dozens of
hen a fi re killed 23
workers at the South
Korea Aricell lithium
battery factory in
June, the fl ames were so intense that
authorities struggled to identify the
bodies. Th e victims, many of them
migrant workers, were part of a global
supply chain rampant with
environmental, labor and human
rights violations.
As the
industry's safety record suggests that
slow-moving regulatory agencies
aren't enough.
But we know what will save lives at
EV battery factories: a union contract.
Why contracts are vital
Th e early days of the automotive
industry taught UAW members
valuable lessons about the necessity
of safety provisions in union
contracts. Our contracts with the
Detroit 3 ensure workers are involved
in safety testing and have a right to
refuse work when conditions are
unsafe.
Fortunately, the UAW strike last
Shawn Fain is
president of
the UAW.
citations
issued by the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration to U.S.
factories in Georgia, Michigan and
Ohio for violations of federal safety
guidelines suggest that not enough is
being done to avert such a tragedy
here. Because of inadequate training
and mismanagement, workers have
been exposed to fi re and dangerous
levels of lithium, hydrofl uoric acid,
cobalt, nickel and other deadly
chemicals.
In Commerce, Ga., OSHA found the
SK Battery plant (owned by South
Korea's SK Group) in violation of
federal safety standards twice in less
than a year " after workers suff ered
potentially permanent respiratory
damage in an October 2023 battery
fi re. "
Th e similarities between these
domestic operations and the factory
in South Korea are stark. Th e
year achieved transformative
progress for the future of workplace
safety with General Motors and
Stellantis agreeing to include its
battery plant workers in the union's
national labor agreement.
After lodging multiple safety
complaints, workers at the Ultium
Cells battery plant in Lordstown,
Ohio, formed the fi rst EV battery
union with the UAW. Th ey came
together because dangerous
conditions led to poor productivity,
high turnover and a loss of materials.
Th eir story highlights how
corporations struggle in the absence
of worker input.
And in September, 1,000 workers at
Ultium's Spring Hill, Tenn., factory
joined the UAW. From the South to
the Midwest, battery workers are
looking for a union contract that can
ensure this industry doesn't take the
low road on health and safety, wages
and benefi ts, or dignity on the job.
Union contracts save lives. Our
People on the Move
DIVERSITY IN DEALERSHIPS
ALL-STAR OF THE WEEK
Alex Hwang
Dealer, Puente Hills Chrysler Dodge
Jeep Ram
Stellantis
Puente Hills, California
DEALER DIVERSITY
agreements with SPARKZ, a lithium
battery company in California,
demonstrate how we're leading the
charge for safety. In collaboration
with workforce development
partners, the UAW is establishing the
fi rst registered battery apprenticeship
program in the nation, a mentorship
program for workers handling the
hazardous materials required for
battery production and a training
program that will recruit a diverse
and highly skilled workforce to the
new industry.
Manufacturers' role
From mining to manufacturing,
EV manufacturers also have a key
role to play in ensuring their battery
value chains are free from workers'
rights abuses. Th ey should begin by
conducting comprehensive due
diligence into the labor practices of
their suppliers and establishing
clear requirements and incentives.
U.S. manufacturers should set an
An active member of his community supporting local hospital
fundraising efforts, Alex shared three life lessons: take responsibility,
constantly develop yourself and stay close to family. Your family and
your health are the greatest assets, not money. For more information
on partnering with or mentoring minority dealer candidates, email
DealerDiversity@Stellantis.com.
See listings and post your own: autonews.com/people
example by taking responsibility for
violations in their supply chain and
establishing grievance and remedy
mechanisms for workers . Th ey can
also stop using joint ventures with
battery manufacturers as a way to
sidestep collective bargaining
agreements, undercut wages and
weaken labor standards. And Tesla,
America's largest producer of EVs,
ULTIUM CELLS
Workers at Ultium Cells' Spring Hill,
Tenn., factory have joined the UAW.
should stop skirting labor law.
A global shift to EVs is necessary to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
but we need to pressure the
corporations receiving billions of
dollars in tax subsidies to make it a
just transition, rather than an
exploitative one. As the recently
announced Department of Labor
lawsuit against Hyundai over the use
of child labor by its suppliers shows,
automakers will no longer be able to
evade accountability for abuses in
their supply chains by feigning
ignorance or claiming it's not their
responsibility.
Th e UAW is aware of the grave
dangers of an ill-equipped and
unrepresented workforce. With 30 EV
battery projects under construction
across the U.S., and hundreds more
expected across the globe , we're
urging manufacturers and
policymakers to adopt safety
standards that save lives.
Low scores
Unfortunately, leading EV
manufacturers are not rising to the
challenge. Th e Lead the Charge
Leaderboard evaluates the eff orts of
18 of the world's leading automakers
to eliminate greenhouse gas
emissions, environmental abuses
and human rights violations from
their supply chains.
Industrywide this year, automakers
scored 19 percent on their eff orts to
ensure their suppliers respect
workers' rights, rising by a meager 3
percent compared with the previous
year's average score. Even the two top
scorers (Ford and Mercedes)
achieved scores of just 50 percent
and 51 percent against these
indicators.
As we change the way cars are
made around the world, let us learn
from the lessons of the past and reject
a low-road transition to how we build
EVs. Workers deserve better. Our
environment deserves better. A green
transition requires leadership at the
top, and good, safe jobs on the
ground. Whatever happens this
November, the UAW will continue to
fi ght for a just transition to battery
power.
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Automotive News - October 14, 2024

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