EGN NEWS DESK
Volkswagen staff in Tennessee who’re hoping to affix the United Automobile Workers requested a federal company on Monday to carry an election, a key step towards the union’s longtime purpose of organizing nonunion factories throughout the South.
The union mentioned Volkswagen staff had filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board asking for a unionization vote after a “supermajority” of the 4,000 eligible staff on the plant had signed playing cards supporting the U.A.W.
It didn’t specify what number of staff had signed playing cards, however it beforehand suggested staff to get the help of greater than 70 % of hourly staff and set up a strong organizing committee earlier than searching for an election. A easy majority vote is required to win illustration.
“Today, we’re one step nearer to creating an excellent job at Volkswagen into an incredible profession,” Isaac Meadows, an meeting employee on the plant, mentioned in an announcement issued by the union.
An election on the manufacturing facility could be the primary check of the U.A.W.’s power after the union staged a wave of strikes within the fall towards the three Detroit automakers — General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis — and successful report wage will increase — with encouragement from the Biden administration.
In an announcement on Monday, Volkswagen mentioned it might “totally help” an election giving each worker an opportunity to vote on union illustration. “We respect our staff’ proper to a democratic course of and to find out who ought to signify their pursuits,” the corporate mentioned.
Later Monday, President Biden issued an announcement congratulating the Volkswagen staff for submitting for the union election.
The U.A.W. has been hoping to make use of momentum from its bargaining with the Detroit-based producers to prepare nonunion crops in Southern states that pay considerably decrease wages than union factories. The U.A.W. says it plans to spend $40 million over the following three years on its marketing campaign.
Chattanooga staff have voted on U.A.W. illustration twice earlier than, and slim majorities rejected unionization every time. In a 2014 vote, the union had no opposition from Volkswagen administration, however there was vocal resistance from state Republican leaders, who urged that unionizing would jeopardize enlargement and job progress on the plant. A second slender loss got here in 2019.
Arthur Wheaton, director of labor research at Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, mentioned the U.A.W. was in a robust place to realize a majority this time.
“Now they’ve much more help from legislators, the general public and the president,” he mentioned. “They can say, ‘We will help you get higher wages and advantages, and we proved we might do this with the Big Three.’”
Over the final 40 years, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and different foreign-owned automakers have constructed greater than two dozen auto crops throughout the South and the decrease Midwest, drawn by right-to-work legal guidelines that make it more durable for unions to prepare staff.
They additionally usually selected to construct factories in rural areas the place prevailing wages are considerably decrease than in Michigan and different Northern states.
In addition to the Volkswagen effort, union campaigns are underway at a Mercedes-Benz plant and a Hyundai manufacturing facility, each in Alabama. The union says greater than half of the Mercedes staff and greater than 30 % of the Hyundai staff have signed playing cards supporting U.A.W. membership.
Volkswagen staff mentioned they needed to affix the U.A.W. to push for greater wages, extra day without work and improved security measures. The Chattanooga manufacturing facility opened in 2011 and makes the Atlas full-size sport utility automobile and the ID.4 electrical automobile. It is the world’s solely Volkswagen plant with out union illustration.
“VW has partnered with unionized work forces all over the world to make their crops secure and profitable,” Victor Vaughn, a logistics employee, mentioned within the union assertion. “That’s why we’re voting for a voice at Volkswagen right here in Chattanooga.”
The U.A.W. is prone to have help within the election from the highly effective German labor union, IG Metall, which beneath German legislation occupies half of the seats on Volkswagen’s supervisory board, the equal of an American board of administrators.
The U.A.W. has looked for years to prepare these nonunion auto crops with out success, however unions have had a resurgence in recent times in organizing efforts and contract showdowns.
G.M., Ford and Stellantis agreed within the fall to roughly 25 % wage will increase for staff making the highest U.A.W. wage, and even bigger raises for staff farther down on the pay scale.
Within a number of years, nearly all the 146,000 U.A.W. staff on the Detroit corporations will earn greater than $40 an hour — the equal of about $83,000 a 12 months for these working 40 hours every week.
The Volkswagen plant introduced an 11 % pay improve shortly after the strikes on the Big Three, bringing the highest hourly wage for manufacturing staff to $32.40.
Nonunion auto crops usually begin new staff at lower than $20 an hour and pay a prime wage beneath $30 an hour.
