Ford and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union reached an agreement on a new contract last fall, ending a six-week-long targeted strike against the automaker, though that new deal may very well wind up having an impact on its future plans. However, the UAW isn’t resting on its laurels, and instead, is working to organize other automotive facilities owned and operated by various companies in the U.S., a list that includes Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee-based plant, where the union has been collecting signatures for a few months now. Now, it has enough support to file a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a vote to join the UAW, the union has announced.
Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant employs around 4,000 people and is the first such non-union facility to file for a union election among the various sites where workers have been organizing over the past few months, and is the only VW-owned facility that doesn’t currently have any form of employee representation.
“Today, we are one step closer to making a good job at Volkswagen into a great career,” said Isaac Meadows, a production team member in assembly at VW’s Chattanooga plant. “Right now, we miss time with our families because so much of our paid-time-off is burned up during the summer and winter shutdowns. We shouldn’t have to choose between our family and our job. By winning our union and a real voice at Volkswagen, we can negotiate for more time with our families.”
“We are voting yes for our union because we want Volkswagen to be successful,” said Victor Vaughn, a logistics team member at VW. “Volkswagen has spent billions of dollars expanding in Chattanooga, but right now safety is a major issue in our plant. Just the other day, I was almost hit by four 500-plus pound crates while I was driving to deliver parts. That incident should’ve been followed up within the hour, but even after I clocked out no one asked me about it. VW has partnered with unionized workforces around the world to make their plants safe and successful. That’s why we’re voting for a voice at Volkswagen here in Chattanooga.”
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Comment
The CAW managed to get one contract at the Sterling Plant in St. Thomas, Ontario. The German owners (Mercedes) closed the plant at the end of that first contract and moved the work elsewhere. Sad.