President Biden has depicted the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) as a gain for workers; Republicans denounce it as a job-killer. The truth is more complex than either. |
© Hill Illustration, Madeline Monroe / The Hill, Greg Nash / AP Photo |
“We do see evidence that some factories have closed … we also see some evidence that plenty of factories have retooled or have changed,” Sanya Carley, a professor of energy policy at the University of Pennsylvania, told The Hill. - Carley said there’s little evidence that the transition to EVs hurts the job market, but that doesn’t necessarily mean no one will face job losses.
- There may be cases, she said, where “several people have lost jobs at a specific factory and other people have gained jobs at other factories, and it might not be the same person.”
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union has called EVs vs. jobs a “false choice” but has sought guarantees that union jobs will be protected in its negotiations with automakers. UAW President Shawn Fain has also accused management of seeking to use the transition to pay workers less.
On Friday, Fain announced that GM will put EV battery manufacturing workers under its man agreement with the union.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com. |
