Workers at a General Motors battery factory have gathered enough support to join the United Auto Workers, the union announced Wednesday.

A majority of the 1,000 employees at Ultium Cells in Tennessee signed cards to join the UAW.

What You Need To Know

  • A majority of the 1,000 employees at Ultium Cells in Tennessee signed cards to join the UAW

  • Ultium Cells is a joint venture of General Motors and LG Energy Solution

  • Workers at several other auto factories in the South have been organizing to join the UAW since the union won records contracts from the Big Three last year

  • The unionization majority in Tennessee comes as support for labor unions is near an all-time high

“Being unionized will help us reap the benefits as far as better healthcare, better pay and overall just having decency within the workplace — not just for us, but future generations,” Ultium worker Tradistine Chambers said in a statement. 

The unionization majority at Ultium Cells — a joint venture of General Motors and LG Energy Solution. It was the first time workers at an automaker other than the Big Three had unionized in the South.

Earlier this year, 30% of workers at a Toyota factory in Missouri said they had signed union authorization cards. It was the fourth non-union plant to join a growing movement of autoworkers who are attempting to replicate the record contracts the UAW won from the Big Three Detroit automakers last year, including 25% wage bumps.

A majority of workers at the largest Mercedes-Benz factory in the U.S., in Vance, Ala., and at a Hyundai factory in Montgomery, Ala., have also organized union efforts.

The unionization majority in Tennessee comes as support for labor unions is near an all-time high. According to a recent Gallup Labor Day poll, 70% of Americans say they approve of labor unions — up from 67% last year.