TONAWANDA, N.Y. — UAW Local 774 representatives tell 2 On Your Side that GM plans to invest $300 million in the Tonawanda Engine Plant.
The announcement comes one week after a tentative agreement between GM and the UAW was reached to end the strike.
"We're ecstatic. This is great news for our membership, and this is great news for securing EV work for the next generation of auto workers coming up behind us," said Raymond Jensen, UAW Region Nine Assistant Director.
The investment will allow it to add drive unit production for GM's electric vehicles as the automaker transitions from gasoline-powered vehicles. The automaker has set a 2035 deadline to shift all of its products to zero-emission electric vehicles.
GM's plant in Tonawanda builds engines and power trains for pickup trucks and SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade and GMC Yukon. More than 900 people work at the Tonawanda Powertrain Plant.
A GM spokesman said, "We are pleased that the new tentative agreement allows us to continue to invest in our U.S. manufacturing footprint and provide good jobs for our team members."
GM is also making significant investments in other Western New York component facilities.
The auto company is investing $154M in the Lockport Component Plant, where they will produce electric vehicle stator modules.
GM is also investing $56M at their Rochester Facility, where they assemble electric vehicle battery cooling systems.
In total, GM is investing $522M in the three facilities.
"There is always going to be a learning curve," Jensen said. "I have no worries about any type of product going in there. They will build it. They will build it with quality, and it will be the world's best," he added.
GM says it will release details about the investment soon.