Volkswagen’s Chattanooga Assembly Plant has made history by voting to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, marking the first newly unionized auto plant in the US South in 80 years and the only union plant owned by a foreign automaker in the US.
The vote, which saw 83.5% of eligible employees participate, with 73% voting in favor, is a significant win for the UAW and comes on the heels of several recent union victories in the US auto industry.
UAW President Shawn Fain referred to this success as “the UAW bump,” emphasizing that strong unions benefit workers across the economy. The UAW’s strategy of simultaneous negotiations with all three major US automakers last September led to significant pay increases and other assurances for workers.
Following these victories, the UAW announced plans to unionize all other US automakers, a move supported by President Biden. The UAW’s strategy aims to have unionized other automakers by May 1, 2028, when renegotiations with the “Big Three” automakers are scheduled.
Today’s vote at the VW plant is a significant step towards achieving this goal. The plant, which had previously voted against unionization in 2014 and 2019, has seen a shift in momentum, with more than double the number of employees since 2019.
The vote faced opposition from republican state government officials, including Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, but received support from President Biden. The success of the vote highlights the changing landscape of worker representation in the US auto industry.
VW’s Chattanooga plant currently produces the VW ID.4 and the VW Atlas, with potential for production of other EVs in the future. The UAW’s next challenge comes in May, with a scheduled vote at Mercedes’ plant in Alabama, where efforts to limit worker representation have been made by republican lawmakers.
