A majority of workers at Stellantis NV’s electric vehicle battery joint venture in Kokomo, Indiana, have voted to join the United Auto Workers (UAW), the union announced Tuesday.
The workers, employed at StarPlus Energy, a joint venture between Stellantis and South Korea’s Samsung SDI, signed authorization cards signaling majority support for union representation. Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram, has recognized the union in accordance with procedures established in its 2023 collective bargaining agreement with the UAW.
The agreement, which followed a 44-day strike last fall, allows Stellantis-leased employees at StarPlus to organize through a card check system. The union said 420 workers at the Kokomo facility are now officially represented by the UAW.
“UAW members at StarPlus stood up to make sure battery jobs are good union jobs,” said Dave Green, UAW Region 2B director. “Workers in Indiana and across the region know they deserve fair wages, workplace protections, and the dignity that UAW members have been fighting for the last 90 years.”
Stellantis confirmed the process in a statement Tuesday, saying the union had been recognized as “the employees’ exclusive bargaining representative.”
The development marks a win for the UAW’s efforts to unionize EV battery facilities. The union has already organized workers at Ultium Cells LLC, General Motors’ joint venture with LG Energy Solution, using a similar process at plants in Lordstown, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee.
The outcome in Indiana stands in contrast to Ford Motor Co.’s battery joint venture, BlueOval SK, in Kentucky, where the UAW has accused the company of stalling a union vote and intimidating workers despite majority interest.
StarPlus began production earlier this year. Stellantis has committed at least $2.5 billion to the facility, which is expected to create 1,400 jobs. A second battery plant in Kokomo, valued at $3.2 billion and expected to open in 2027, will also add another 1,400 jobs.
