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JOLIET, IL, Nov. 20, 2023 – Workers at Lion Electric Company announced their intention to unionize with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW). Approximately 140 workers at the Joliet, IL, location cited serious workplace issues they want to be addressed through collective bargaining and a voice in workplace decision-making.
The workers at The Lion Electric Company, who are responsible for producing a new generation of electric buses, face many chronic, industry-wide workplace issues, including low pay, an extreme work-life imbalance, lack of job security, favoritism, and unaffordable health insurance.
Securing a living wage for all Lion employees is a top priority for the workers involved in the organizing drive, who recognize that stable, family-supporting jobs are the bedrock of a healthy Joliet community. Many were drawn to their job at Lion because they wanted to work in a new groundbreaking industry, only to be faced with favoritism, lack of safety measures, and a continued struggle to support themselves on low wages. Other problems that Lion workers want to be addressed by management are broken promises and the need for adequate training to perform their jobs safely.
Poor working conditions for workers in the electric vehicle industry are not unusual and have led to a wave of recent union organizing in the United States and globally. Most recently, workers at Rivian in Normal, IL, have kicked off an organizing campaign. By gaining a seat at the table at The Lion Electric Company through a collective bargaining agreement, workers seek to lift all boats and improve chronic problems within the electric vehicle industry.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.
