March 5 - The United Auto Workers said on Wednesday that

workers at a battery manufacturing joint venture between General

Motors ( GM ) and South Korea's LG Energy Solution

have overwhelmingly approved a first contract with the company.

The agreement, approved by nearly 1,000 UAW members working

for the Ultium Cells joint venture, improves upon gains achieved

in the union's national contract with GM for those workers, the

union said.

Specifically, the agreement ensures fair work practices and

workplace safety at the plant and secures "fair pay and

benefits," according to the union's negotiating committee.

Ultium workers at the Tennessee plant make battery cells for

electric vehicles produced at the neighboring assembly plant

including the Cadillac Lyriq.

The deal's highlights include a one-time $3,000 lump sum

payment and wages that align with what Ultium workers make at a

plant in northeast Ohio, which was the first to unionize. The

wages currently start at $26.91 and include increases every year

to reach $35 per hour by September 2027.

Ultium Cells did not immediately respond to a request for

comment on the deal.

With Detroit Three automakers pivoting to producing electric

vehicles, the company's battery plants, often built in

partnership with other companies, have become a battleground for

the union.

UAW officials have voiced concerns about members' job

security with more EVs coming. UAW President Shawn Fain has made

organizing these plants a priority and a sticking point during

the UAW and Detroit Three talks in 2023 that led to a six-week

strike.

In September 2024, Ultium Cells agreed to recognize the

union at the Tennessee plant. That move came after workers at

the Ultium Cells plant in northeast Ohio overwhelmingly voted to

join the union in 2022 and signed off on a new contract in 2024

that came with significant wage increases.

The union is still negotiating a first contract for workers

at the Volkswagen Tennessee plant where workers voted to join

the union in April 2024.

(Reporting by Kalea Hall in Detroit; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)