LORDSTOWN, Ohio - A workforce reduction began today at the Ultium Cells battery manufacturing plant in Lordstown. The company moved forward with a planned mass layoff involving 1,334 hourly employees. The facility is a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, located on Tod Avenue SW.

The automaker notified state and local officials late last year that these cuts were necessary due to production schedule adjustments. Company representatives stated that the reduction is a direct result of electric vehicle adoption rates that are slower than the company had originally expected. The plant will use this downtime to make facility upgrades that managers say will provide greater flexibility for future production.

Documents filed with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services outline exactly which positions are being eliminated starting today. Most of the cuts affect the cell production department, where 1,090 battery assembly operators are losing their positions. The layoff also includes 142 quality operators and 102 material operators.

While the total number of affected employees exceeds 1,300, the company previously indicated that approximately 850 of these layoffs are temporary. The remaining workers are on indefinite layoff. According to the notice provided to government officials, employees do not have bumping rights for these specific layoffs. This means senior employees cannot displace junior employees in other positions to avoid being let go. However, the workers do retain transfer and recall rights under the terms of their national and local labor agreements.

UAW Local 1112 represents the workforce at the plant. The layoffs come during a difficult period for the union across the region. In a December update to members, UAW Region 2B Director Dave Green acknowledged that the union has faced challenges with members struggling through layoffs, plant slowdowns, and closings. Green noted that members in the electric vehicle sector are specifically taking a hit and cited Ultium Cells in Lordstown as a location facing difficulties. He emphasized that seeing these issues across all sectors is profound and called for members to stand united to preserve rights for everyone.

General Motors has also paused operations at other facilities, including a temporary layoff of 700 workers at its Spring Hill, Tennessee, battery plant. The Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center, also known as Factory Zero, is scheduled to reopen today on a single shift following its own staffing reductions.