The employees of the car manufacturer VW at the US plant in Chattanooga have voted by a large majority to be represented by a union. This marks a historic success.
Workers at VW’s US plant in Chattanooga have decided to unionize for the third time. This makes VW the first foreign car manufacturer where the US union UAW is responsible for co-determination. The vote is a historic victory for the UAW, which is seeking to expand its influence beyond America’s three auto giants.
73 percent of workers agreed
According to VW and the union, 73 percent of workers voted in favor of being represented by the UAW. The result still has to be confirmed by the US authority NLRB. With 3,613 votes cast, 83.5 percent of workers took part in the vote. 2,628 of them voted for UAW representation.
UAW union with tailwind
The union has failed twice in recent years to organize workers at the Tennessee plant. However, the UAW currently has a tailwind: Last fall, after a weeks-long strike, it pushed through better working conditions and income increases of around 25 percent at the US companies General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. The union has so far had a difficult time in the southern US states and in the factories of foreign car manufacturers. It has also not yet managed to get a foot in the door with the electric car manufacturer Tesla.
IG Metall at Volkswagen emphasized that Chattanooga was the only factory in the group without employee representation. The president of the European and global works council at Volkswagen, Daniela Cavallo, said the workforce in Chattanooga had “written a piece of US union history.” Even in one UAW contribution to online service X it said: “Volkswagen workers have just made history.”
Voting is imminent at Mercedes in Alabama
UAW aims to represent 13 companies with nearly 150,000 employees. Most locations are in southern states like Tennessee. There will also be a vote at Mercedes-Benz in Vance, Alabama. It is scheduled to take place from May 13th to 17th.
Claudia Sarre, ARD Washington, tagesschau, April 20, 2024 7:58 a.m
With information from Claudia Sarre, ARD Studio Washington