General Motors Co. Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra said she backs efforts to unionize a joint venture vehicle battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio, where hourly employees will decide whether to join the United Auto Workers next week.
(Bloomberg) — General Motors Co.
Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra said she backs efforts to unionize a joint venture vehicle battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio, where hourly employees will decide whether to join the United Auto Workers next week.
“We’re very supportive of the plant being unionized,” Barra said Thursday in an interview on Bloomberg TV.
“We have a very productive relationship with the union. The employees are going to be voting, but we’re very supportive.”
Barra’s comments come a week before a two-day vote on Dec. 7 and Dec.
8 and just a month after the UAW filed for an election to represent the 900 production workers at the Ultium Cells LLC plant, which is jointly owned with Korea’s LG Energy Solution. At the time, UAW President Ray Curry said Ultium was making it difficult for workers to organize.
The union wanted to expedite recognition of collective bargaining after it said more than half of the employees signed authorization cards in favor of UAW representation.
Curry said in a statement that Ultium first indicated a willingness to speed up organizing but then backed away, forcing a formal election process.
“Ultium has decided to ignore democracy and delay the recognition process,” Curry said in the Oct.
31 statement. “Make no mistake: Whether it is by card check or union election, these workers will be members of the UAW.”
–With assistance from Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec.
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