An initial count from a crucial unionization vote at Volkswagen‘s Tennessee plant indicates strong support for joining the United Auto Workers (UAW).
If successful, the Chattanooga factory would be the first auto plant in the Southern United States to unionize via election since the 1940s, and the first Southern factory owned by a foreign automaker to do so.
This development would significantly boost UAW President Shawn Fain’s mission to unionize automotive factories across the country, with a budget of $40 million set aside through 2026 for efforts targeting companies including Tesla.
The vote count, overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, currently stands at 1300-399 in favor of unionizing among the 4,300 eligible workers.
This early tally has sparked celebrations among workers, many donning red “Future UAW Member” t-shirts.
Final results are anticipated by 11 p.m. EDT. Isaac Meadows, a worker at the VW plant, expressed his support, stating, “This is going to change the labor landscape across the country.”
Despite previous unsuccessful attempts to unionize the plant in 2014 and 2019, the current effort benefits from a surge in pro-union sentiment and recent successful contract negotiations by the UAW with major automakers.
The UAW requires at least 70% of a plant’s workforce to show preliminary support before proceeding with a vote.
This time, the union’s prospects are considered promising, although the U.S. South has historically been resistant to unionization, a sentiment recently echoed by several Republican governors.
Harley Shaiken, a labor professor, remarked on the significant focus on unions, with VW’s Chattanooga facility playing a central role.
The plant’s workers have been quietly organizing, supported by UAW officials from Detroit, despite some opposition claiming potential risks to job security.
As the vote drew to a close, workers symbolized their stance through their attire, with union supporters wearing red and opponents white, although company policy required them to remove these shirts before entering the plant.
Shawn Fain highlighted Volkswagen’s profitability in a UAW pamphlet, asserting the company’s capability to provide fair compensation.
He emphasized the uniqueness of the Chattanooga workers being non-unionized in contrast to their global counterparts.
VW maintains a neutral stance on the unionization efforts at this plant, its only non-union facility worldwide.
Previously, the UAW had represented workers at a VW plant in Pennsylvania until its closure in 1988.
The UAW’s history in the South includes several unsuccessful attempts to unionize at other automaker plants, such as Nissan.
However, the broader labor movement has seen a resurgence recently, marked by increased strikes and significant wage negotiations by the UAW with major automakers, leading to competitive wage adjustments by nonunion companies to potentially deter unionization.
The next UAW election is scheduled at a Mercedes plant in Alabama, where a majority of workers have already expressed their support for unionization, setting the stage for another significant union vote.