Kelcey Smith displays UAW pins on April 10, 2024 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Kevin Worm | The Washington Post | Getty Images
Volkswagen Workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted overwhelmingly to join the United Auto Workers, a major milestone for the union and its first successful organizing effort by an automaker outside of Detroit’s Big Three.
According to the National Labor Relations Board, which monitored the election, 73% of the vote, or 2,628 workers, voted for unionization and supported the UAW. In total, about 3,620, or about 84%, of the 4,326 eligible VW workers voted in the election, the NLRB said. Seven ballots were challenged and three others were declared invalid.
“In a historic victory, an overwhelming majority of Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted to join the UAW,” the union said in a news release Friday evening ahead of the NLRB’s release of official results. “As votes continue to be counted, the result is clear: Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga are the first autoworkers in the South outside of the Big Three to win their union.”
The NLRB has yet to certify the outcome, but barring any unexpected problems or challenges, the company is obligated to negotiate in good faith with the union. The discussions can take place directly or initially through a mediator.
According to the NLRB, parties have five business days to file objections to the election. If no objections are raised, the result will be certified.
VW confirmed the UAW’s victory in a news release Friday evening, but offered little additional comment.
“We are awaiting certification of the results by the NLRB,” the company said. “Volkswagen thanks its Chattanooga workers for voting in this election.”
UAW leaders and supporters are expected to use the victory as a launching pad for the unprecedented unionization drive of 13 automakers in the U.S. after winning major contracts last year with General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler parent Stellantis.
President Joe Biden, who has strongly supported organized labor and the UAW, congratulated the union on its “historic vote.”
“Across the country, union members have enjoyed big gains and big pay increases, including auto workers, actors, longshoremen, teamsters, writers, warehouse and health care workers, and more. Together, these union victories have helped raise wages and demonstrate once again that the middle class built America and that unions are still building and expanding the middle class for all workers,” Biden said in a statement.
A Volkswagen automobile assembly plant is seen in this aerial photo in Chattanooga, Tennessee, March 20, 2024.
Elijah Nouvelage | Getty Images
UAW President Shawn Fain and others viewed this week’s vote as the union’s best chance to organize the VW plant after strikes and record contracts at Detroit automakers. These agreements included significant wage increases, the reinstatement of cost-of-living adjustments and other benefits.
The successful organizing campaign comes days after six Republican southern governors, including Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, released a joint statement condemning the UAW’s efforts to organize in their states.
“We have worked tirelessly on behalf of our constituents to create good-paying jobs in our states. These jobs have become an integral part of the automotive industry. Unionization would certainly put our states’ jobs at risk – in this case.” “All UAW automakers announced layoffs last year,” the statement said.
The UAW previously failed to organize the Volkswagen plant in 2014 and 2019 as it faced greater external political pressure and worker resistance. Five years ago, workers rejected union membership by a mere 833 votes to 776.
UAW President Shawn Fain greets members attending a rally in support of the union strike at the UAW Local 551 Hall on the South Side on October 7, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois.
Jim Vondruska | Getty Images
The union will now set its sights on negotiations with VW. Attention is also being paid to an expected union vote by Mercedes-Benz workers at an SUV plant in Vance, Alabama.
Earlier this month, workers at the facility filed paperwork with the NLRB for a formal election to join the UAW. The vote for 5,200 workers will take place May 13-17, the NLRB announced Thursday.
“The first thing you have to do to win is believe that you can win,” Fain told Mercedes-Benz employees last month. “That this job can be better. That your life can be better. And that these things are worth fighting for. That’s why we stand up. That’s why you’re here today. Because deep down you believe it is possible.”
Fain had previously promised to expand beyond the Big Three and into the “Big Five or Big Six” by the time his four-and-a-half-year contracts with the Detroit automakers expire in 2028.
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2024-04-20 03:21:25
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