with the United Auto Workers and the Canadian union Unifor. UAW leadership has suggested that those talks could lead to strikes if progress isn’t made by the time the current contract expires in September.Among UAW concerns is the relatively low pay that workers are earning at the new Ultium battery-cell plant in Ohio, compared with workers in gasoline-vehicle factories. The Ultium plant is a joint venture between GM and South Korea’s LG Energy Solutions.
“We have a long history of negotiating fair contracts with both unions that reward our employees and support the long-term success of our business. Our goal this time will be no different,” Barra said Tuesday. The UAW fired back with a less conciliatory message. “It’s long past time for GM to pony up, end tiers, pay their employees competitive wages that keep up with the cost of living and provide everyone the ability to retire with dignity,” UAW chief Shawn Fain said in a statement.GM will introduce the new Bolt on an “accelerated timeline,” but said it would announce timing and more details, including the manufacturing location, later.
GM still intends to stop producing the legacy Bolt at a plant in Lake Orion, Mich., at the end of this year, a spokesman said. The company earlier said that factory would be retooled to produce electric trucks. The decision to kill the Bolt had disappointed some EV enthusiasts, who lamented the loss of one of the market’s smallest, most affordable EVs. The sticker price starts at $26,500, with the car also qualifying for a $7,500 federal tax credit.more expensiveThe other electric vehicles that GM is ramping up include pricier models such as the GMC Hummer EV, the Cadillac Lyriq and the Silverado truck.