Work at Stellantis plant to resume after deal with UAW

MICHELLE CHAPMAN - AP Business Writer

United Auto Workers union members who went on strike Saturday at a Stellantis casting plant in Indiana are returning to work after ratifying a deal with the company.

Stellantis said that operations at the plant in Kokomo will resume late Monday after UAW Local 1166 workers voted to ratify the agreement. The two sides had announced a tentative agreement earlier in the day pending the ratification vote.

The strike was related to health and safety issues, including the company’s alleged refusal to repair and replace the plant’s air conditioning and heating systems.

The 35-acre plant in Kokomo makes parts used in the power trains of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM vehicles. The 1,200-worker plant, Kokomo Casting, is the world’s largest die cast facility, according to Stellantis.

In May, Stellantis announced a $2.5 billion joint venture with Samsung to build an electric vehicle battery factory in Kokomo that is to employ 1,400 workers.

Stellantis, created last year through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France’s PSA Peugeot, had said it would build two electric vehicle battery factories in North America. The other is slated for Windsor, Ontario.