Factory workers vote on whether to unionize Tennessee Volkswagen plant

Workers at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee are close to voting on whether to join the United Auto Workers union (UAW). The election could be a sign of further momentum for organized labor after a year of high-profile strikes and major contract wins for workers.

The vote at the Chattanooga plant is a direct challenge to states that typically have “right to work” laws that make it more difficult to unionize. Many such states are located in the South.

More than 4,000 Volkswagen employees are expected to vote in the election by Friday evening, the union said.

The UAW, which has narrowly lost elections at its Tennessee plant twice in the past decade, does not shy away from the regional aspects of labor struggles, encouraging “workers in the South to rise up.”

“Mercedes workers in Alabama have just filed for election, and non-union autoworkers across the South are preparing to rise and join them,” the UAW says on its website.

Southern Republican governors opposed the union vote in a letter this week, writing that the union push threatens “jobs” and “values.”

The governors of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Tennessee said, “We don’t want special interests to enter our states and threaten our jobs and the values ​​we live by.” “We have a responsibility to speak out to our constituents when we see that happening.” he wrote in Tuesday’s letter.

Last fall’s UAW strike against the former “Big Three” Detroit automakers – Ford, General Motors and Stellantis – included major demands including the return of cost-of-living adjustments that index wages to inflation, retiree bonuses and wage elimination. Labor has won a contractual victory. hierarchy.

President Biden became the first sitting president in U.S. history to join the picket line on behalf of UAW workers during a strike.

“These historic contracts come at great sacrifice, including record raises, increased paid time off, enhanced retirement security, and greater rights and respect in the workplace,” the White House said in a November statement. We will reward the auto workers who have come.”

Labor experts note the historic resistance to various forms of organized labor in the South, which makes the Volkswagen vote particularly important.

“This is a problem they’ve probably had for almost 400 years,” Arthur Wheaton, a labor expert at Cornell University, told The Hill.

The popularity of organized labor in the United States is near its highest point in 50 years, with 67% of Americans expected to support unions in 2023, according to data from the polling organization Gallup.

The UAW and other labor groups are leveraging their popularity to increase their influence in the wake of high inflation and tightening costs of living, particularly in food and housing prices following the pandemic.

“More than 10,000 nonunion autoworkers have signed union cards in recent months, launching public campaigns at Volkswagen, Mercedes in Vance, Alabama, Hyundai in Montgomery, Alabama, and Toyota in Troy, Missouri. “Workers at more than 20 other facilities are also actively organizing,” the union said in a news release.