MACUNGIE, Pa. — Vehicle manufacturing at Mack Trucks’ Lehigh Valley Operations facility got a big funding boost Thursday.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said in a release that $208 million will go to support Volvo Mack Trucks’ production of zero-emissions vehicles.
Casey’s announcement came the same day the Biden administration announced $1.7 billion to convert endangered or shuttered plants into electric vehicle manufacturing facilities.
The White House specifically named the Lehigh Valley Mack facility as part of that funding, but the full $208 million will be spread out among three manufacturing facilities from Volvo Group, the White House said.
Those facilities supply and build Mack and Volvo-branded heavy duty trucks.
The other plants getting a piece of the funding are located in Dublin, Virginia, and Hagerstown, Maryland.
'A win-win for union autoworkers'
The grants announced by the White House are specifically geared to the automotive supply chain, including commercial truck batteries and electric SUVs, parts for electric motorcycles, school buses and more.
"Building a clean energy economy can and should be a win-win for union autoworkers and automakers,'' President Joe Biden said in a statement.
"This investment will create thousands of good-paying, union manufacturing jobs and retain even more — from Lansing, Michigan to Fort Valley, Georgia — by helping auto companies retool, reboot and rehire in the same factories and communities," Biden said.
Volvo Mack Trucks has a five-year plan to transition its plants and employees to new, clean energy vehicle technologies.
The $208 million also will produce 295 new union jobs, Casey’s announcement said, though it’s unclear what cut of the funding the Macungie facility is getting or the number of new jobs expected locally.
Late Thursday morning, a representative for Sen. Casey said they were still working to learn what amount of the funding the Macungie facility would receive and more on the number of new jobs expected locally.
“Pennsylvania manufacturing has always formed the backbone of our nation. This funding will boost Volvo Mack Trucks’ Lehigh Valley production, create good-paying, union jobs, and pave the way for our clean energy future,” Casey said in the release.
“I fought to bring clean energy investments to Pennsylvania, and I will keep fighting to make sure we keep these investments coming.”
Grants come after successful union campaigns
The Biden administration said if awarded funding is completed as planned, the selected projects would create more than 2,900 jobs and help ensure about 15,000 union workers are retained across 11 facilities nationwide working on electric vehicle manufacturing and assembly.
Those grants come after successful union organizing drives from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Fort Valley, Georgia, the White House said.
Last October, Union workers at Mack Trucks in Macungie voted down a tentative five-year contract agreement and walked off the job.
The United Auto Workers in Allentown, UAW Local 677, later approved a "last, best and final" offer from Mack Trucks, ending a 39-day strike.
The Mack Trucks strike in the Lehigh Valley was a prominent part of a national strike involving the larger organization of the UAW union, as well as Mack Trucks as a whole. It involved about 2,400 unionized workers.
According to Casey’s office, Volvo Mack Trucks will use funding in Thursday’s announcements for a mixed model assembly, which will allow for the scalability and flexibility required to meet market demands for zero-emission vehicles.
