Recently, UAW Local 1166 president Dave Willis told the WRTV of Kokomo that they had negotiated for collective bargaining at the new “StarPlus” battery plant in Kokomo, a joint venture of Stellantis and Samsung. The news is now official, according to a letter from David Green, Region 28 UAW director.
The plant will be represented by Local 1166. Green wrote that everyone involved should, “celebrate that UAW members will be performing this new work. They will have a good UAW job and enjoy the benefits they deserve. The national parties have done an amazing job in securing this new work for our members. Even though they were told it couldn’t be done, they got it done.”
The plant is scheduled to open in 2026; hundreds of people are already preparing it. Willis told WRTV, “They have a major investment over there, and now they’re investing in their people.”
Stellantis is making conventional lithium-ion batteries at first, most likely transitioning to solid-state batteries or another chemistry later on. Pilot testing on solid state batteries in real cars is starting relatively soon, as large-scale manufacturing processes are developed. Other automakers are also planning to switch to solid state technology and other promising alternatives, which have been developed with increasing rapidity. Conventional gasoline-powered cars and trucks will remain available.
See other coverage of EVs and batteries.
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