All auto companies are moving toward lower emissions, and the market share of electric vehicles will grow. To make the shift to EVs work for our communities, we need policies that promote U.S. manufacturing and good union jobs.

Right now, there is a provision in the Build Back Better Act that does just that by giving consumers an additional tax credit if they purchase a union-made electric vehicle made in the U.S. That’s right – union-made. House and Senate are likely to vote on the legislation within the next few weeks. Without such groundbreaking policies, the U.S. will continue to slip further behind foreign competitors in production of EVs with no assurance that future automobile technologies will be built by union workers in the U.S.

The tax credit of an additional $4,500 for union-made electric vehicles made in the U.S. is a win for UAW members, unorganized autoworkers, and the entire labor movement. The provision:

• Supports the high standards in wages, benefits, and safety that UAW members have bargained for in the auto industry
• Incentivizes nonunion companies to stop spending millions on union busters and to allow their workers to form their unions freely
• Encourages U.S. auto manufacturers to bring back jobs they offshored

This provision recognizes the importance of unionized workers as the front line for creating well-paying, safe jobs for the entire auto industry. It’s public policy that invests in workers and communities and should be a model going forward for all industries.