Unionization vote at Tennessee VW plant certified

A unionization vote at the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee has been approved by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Volkswagen and the United Auto Workers (UAW) announced Tuesday.

Workers at the Chattanooga plant voted two weeks ago, with 73% (2,628 workers) of 985 employees voting in favor of forming a union, and 27% opposed.

“Volkswagen and our union members around the world have a long history of success building vehicles together, and we look forward to working with the UAW on a strong and successful future for Volkswagen Chattanooga.” stated in a joint document. statement on tuesday.

“We share many common goals: to provide a positive work environment where employees are well compensated for their efforts in producing quality vehicles and share in the company’s success. That’s it.”

Workers at the Chattanooga plant have refused to join the union twice, most recently in 2019. But this month, they became the latest workers in a growing number of facilities to join the UAW, led by leader Sean Fein.

In a joint statement, Volkswagen and the UAW said they are currently “focused” on reaching a “fair” agreement.

“Both sides are now focused on reaching a fair agreement and approaching collective bargaining and negotiations in a spirit of working together to build world-class vehicles together,” the statement said.

Workers at a Mercedes factory in Alabama are scheduled to vote next month on whether they want to join the UAW.

The vote in Tennessee comes as governors in six southern states have warned workers, arguing that joining the UAW would interfere with job security and “the values ​​by which we live.”

Mr. Fein’s union led strikes against the former “Big Three” automakers last year, and after a six-week strike, finally reached an agreement with all three in October, including General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. was completed.