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Case File · Kokomo, Indiana · Howard County
Stellantis and Samsung SDI built StarPlus Energy's two Kokomo battery plants inside the footprint of Stellantis' UAW Local 685 engine and transmission operations — roughly 5,000 existing hourly workers. Local 685 publicly characterized the second-plant announcement as a “spit in the face.” In May 2025 the UAW won representation for approximately 420 StarPlus Energy workers. Stellantis recognized the unit.
Cited site read: 66/100 — built and operating; labor-side opposition absorbed through representation.
StarPlus
JV
2 in Kokomo
Plants
~420 workers
UAW Unit
May 2025
UAW Rep. Vote
UAW 685
Legacy Local
66/100
RealClear
Kokomo, IN · 2022 — 2025
Three years from first-plant announcement to UAW representation at the JV facility.
May 24, 2022
Stellantis and Samsung SDI announce first Kokomo battery plant
Stellantis and Samsung SDI announce a joint-venture Kokomo battery plant — the first StarPlus Energy facility — to be co-located with Stellantis' legacy Kokomo engine and transmission operations. The JV is structured under a U.S. corporate entity to manufacture battery cells and modules for North American Stellantis vehicles.
2022–2023
First Kokomo plant advances; Indiana incentive package
The first StarPlus Energy plant advances through site work, state and local incentive agreements, and workforce planning. Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Howard County, and the City of Kokomo coordinate on the support package. Stellantis' legacy industrial footprint carried existing entitlement posture, smoothing local permitting.
2023
Stellantis–Samsung SDI announce a second Kokomo battery plant
Stellantis and Samsung SDI announce plans for a second Kokomo battery plant to expand the StarPlus Energy footprint. WFYI Public Media documents the announcement alongside broader UAW commentary on the 'just EV transition' in auto-sector employment.
2023–2024
UAW Local 685 frames second plant as 'spit in the face'
UAW Local 685, which represents roughly 5,000 Stellantis Kokomo hourly workers on engines and transmissions, publicly characterizes the second StarPlus Energy announcement as a 'spit in the face' — citing the risk that EV battery content at higher automation could erode ICE-era employment over time. The framing centers the transition's labor-side disruption.
2024
Construction and hiring advance at the StarPlus Energy campus
Construction and hiring at the StarPlus Energy campus advance. The UAW maintains public pressure around a 'just EV transition' framework, coordinating with national UAW leadership following the 2023 Big Three contract gains. Indiana labor and business press track the trajectory.
May 27, 2025
UAW wins representation for ~420 StarPlus Energy workers
Detroit News reports the UAW won a representation election for approximately 420 StarPlus Energy workers at the Kokomo battery campus. The vote marks the first major battery-JV unionization in the Stellantis footprint.
2025
Stellantis recognizes the StarPlus Energy bargaining unit
MoparInsiders and regional labor press report Stellantis recognized the UAW as bargaining representative for the StarPlus Energy unit. The recognition converts the opposition posture into a bargaining framework — a labor-side land-use template distinct from a blocked project.
Ongoing
Plant continues operating; broader JV restructurings shape the sector
StarPlus Energy's Kokomo plants continue operating under the Stellantis–Samsung SDI JV. In late 2025 and 2026 the broader North American battery JV landscape restructures — including the BlueOval SK dissolution separating Ford and SK On assets — but the Kokomo sites remain in place with a unionized workforce.
The Actors
Every actor is on the public record — OEM press, union statements, labor press, or Indiana business press.
Stellantis N.V.
Joint-Venture Parent — Battery Customer
Documented Record
Co-founded StarPlus Energy with Samsung SDI to produce battery cells and modules in Kokomo for North American Stellantis vehicles. Recognized the UAW bargaining unit at StarPlus Energy following the May 2025 representation vote.
Stellantis operates the controlling OEM customer relationship for the JV. Recognition of the UAW unit preserved the broader Stellantis-UAW relationship and let the plant stay on schedule — a better outcome than a contested NLRB process.
Samsung SDI
Joint-Venture Parent — Battery Manufacturer
Documented Record
Co-founded StarPlus Energy with Stellantis; provides battery-cell manufacturing expertise and technology licensing to the JV. Samsung SDI press communications confirmed the Kokomo plant build-out.
Samsung SDI's Korean-chaebol labor-relations default differs from Detroit's unionized baseline. The UAW representation vote ensured the U.S. plant operates under Detroit-style labor norms — a meaningful detail for Korean battery partners entering new U.S. footprints.
UAW Local 685
Primary Labor Counterparty
Kokomo, IN — Stellantis engines/transmissions
Documented Record
Represents approximately 5,000 Stellantis hourly workers at Kokomo engine and transmission facilities. Publicly characterized the second StarPlus Energy plant announcement as a 'spit in the face' and anchored 'just EV transition' advocacy through 2024–2025.
The local union was the controlling labor-side actor. Their pivot from oppositional rhetoric toward a representation campaign is the core teaching of this case — battery JV opposition in unionized footprints routes through representation, not siting.
UAW International
National Union
Documented Record
Following the 2023 Big Three contract gains, the UAW publicly committed to organizing battery-plant workers across OEM-adjacent JVs. The Kokomo StarPlus Energy election is one of the first such wins in the Stellantis footprint.
National UAW strategy treats battery JV plants as a core organizing front. Future battery JV sites in UAW-adjacent geographies should build representation contingencies into their labor-relations planning.
City of Kokomo / Howard County
Local Government Partners
Kokomo, IN
Documented Record
Coordinated local permitting and infrastructure around the StarPlus Energy campus, which sits within Stellantis' legacy Kokomo industrial footprint. Local incentive agreements supported the JV build-out.
Local government posture was aligned with the JV throughout. The legacy industrial footprint carried pre-existing entitlements, meaning the local land-use conversation was materially lighter than on greenfield battery sites.
Indiana Economic Development Corporation
State Incentive Counterparty
Documented Record
Coordinated state-level incentive agreements for the StarPlus Energy campus alongside City of Kokomo and Howard County support. Indiana's business press tracked the state-level agreement structure.
IEDC incentives are a standard Indiana tool; they were not the center of gravity on this case. The controlling dynamic was the labor-side fight, not the state incentive package.
Why This Template Matters
Battery JV opposition routes through representation, not siting. Plan accordingly.
Co-located With a Unionized ICE Footprint
StarPlus Energy sits inside Stellantis' legacy Kokomo footprint, adjacent to UAW Local 685's ~5,000-worker base. Battery JV plants co-located with unionized ICE operations inherit the labor coalition.
Opposition Framed as 'Just Transition'
UAW posture framed the second-plant announcement as a 'just EV transition' question, not an anti-siting campaign. The framing determines whether opposition goes after siting or representation.
Representation, Not Blockade
UAW won representation for ~420 workers and Stellantis recognized the unit. The plant continued operating under a bargaining framework. Not a blocked project — a labor-integrated one.
Entitlement Posture Was Smooth
Stellantis' legacy industrial footprint carried pre-existing entitlement. Local government posture was aligned. The entitlement conversation was not the live fight on this case.
Korean Battery Partners Meet Detroit Labor
Samsung SDI's Korean-chaebol labor baseline met Detroit's union baseline through the JV. Future battery JVs with Korean partners on UAW-adjacent footprints should plan for this cultural adjustment.
National UAW Strategy Is Structural
After the 2023 Big Three contract, battery JVs are a core UAW organizing front. Future sites on unionized OEM footprints should build representation contingencies into labor-relations planning.
The Intelligence
Legacy entitlement, legacy labor coalition, JV structure, national-union strategy, representation outcome.
Site Analysis
StarPlus Energy (Stellantis–Samsung SDI JV)
Kokomo, IN — Howard County
Active Dynamics
Entitlement Posture
Stellantis' legacy Kokomo footprint carried existing industrial entitlement; no contentious rezoning on record.
Labor Dynamic
UAW 'just EV transition' posture reframed opposition from blocking to representing the new plant.
Outcome
UAW representation secured May 2025; Stellantis recognized the unit. Plant continues operating.
Risk — ICE Workforce Transition
~5,000 Stellantis Kokomo hourly roles on engines/transmissions face long-term EV-transition pressure.
Recommendation
LABOR-SIDE LAND-USE TEMPLATE. Battery JVs co-located with unionized ICE OEM footprints should expect representation campaigns, not project-level opposition. Kokomo is the template: the opposition converted into a union win, not a blocked plant. Model the UAW-adjacent representation path as part of diligence on any Detroit-linked battery JV site, particularly Stellantis, Ford, and GM footprints.
Labor-side diligence is entitlement diligence
RealClear tracks UAW, USW, and allied union organizing posture across U.S. battery JV and mega-manufacturing sites — before the representation campaign lands on your project.
Cited research summary · Not legal advice · Verify independently before making investment decisions
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