The outlook has improved dramatically for local auto plants as General Motors and Ford shift their focus to electric vehicles.
Production workers at the Route 5 plant voted 288 to 82 in favor of the deal, while skilled trades workers voted 183 to 45 in favor, according to a vote tracker by Automotive News.
The latest piece – and one of the most important – came into focus this month when GM pledged to invest $300 million in its Town of Tonawanda engine plant to make drive units for electric vehicles.
It was the final piece in a series of investment plans outlined in tentative deals with the United Auto Workers that provide a strong indication that the local plants – and their 3,500 hourly and salaried workers – won’t be left behind because of the shift to electric vehicles.
GM affirmed a previous commitment to invest $154 million in the Lockport components plant, while Ford pledged to invest $80 million in its stamped parts plant in Hamburg.
Those pledges are no small matter, given the three plants’ significance to the region’s manufacturing sector.
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