Driver or No driver, Local 5960 Workers Build Quality
UAW members at Local 5960 in Lake Orion, Michigan, have been building quality vehicles for drivers for decades. Now they will build quality vehicles for cars without drivers.
General Motors announced in December that its Orion Township assembly plant will build test fleet Chevrolet Bolt EVs equipped with fully autonomous technology. The plant currently manufactures the electric Chevrolet Bolt EV and Sonic.
“GM’s selection of the Lake Orion plant restates its confidence in the ability of our Local 5960 members and their dedication to quality,” said UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada, who directs the union’s General Motors Department. “It makes perfect sense to have the same workers who build quality Chevy Bolts for traditional drivers to make the autonomous versions.”
The Chevrolet Bolt EV won the prestigious North American International Auto Show’s Car of the Year Award in January.
The autonomous technology equipment includes Light Detection and Ranging (LI-DAR) technology, cameras, sensors and other hardware designed to ensure system safety. The test fleet vehicles will be used by GM engineers for continued testing and validation of GM’s autonomous technology already underway on public roads in San Francisco and Scottsdale, Arizona, as well as part of the Michigan testing fleet.
Since the beginning of 2016, GM has taken significant steps in its development of autonomous vehicle technology. The announcement to have our members build these special vehicles is another step in the right direction.
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