The US auto workers union UAW is achieving the goal of establishing a union base at the US Chattanooga plant Volkswagen for the initial conclusion of a collective agreement. More than 1,000 employees at the plant, 30 percent of the workforce, have signed the cards authorizing the union to take action, said the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. If there is 70 percent approval and the establishment of an organizational committee, the UAW will seek recognition by the company or a vote on employee representation. In the past, the UAW narrowly lost two votes in Chattanooga.
After the collective agreements were concluded with the three major US car manufacturers, the UAW launched a campaign to force the foreign manufacturers’ previously non-tariff-free companies to negotiate. In addition to VW, this also includes the German premium manufacturers BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Toyota,Hyundai, Nissan, Rivian and Tesla. The dozen or so car manufacturers without collective agreements employ almost 150,000 workers in US assembly plants, which roughly corresponds to the number of employees at the three Detroit companies General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler parent Stellantis.
VW has also already increased wages by double digits
In November, VW increased wages for factory workers by eleven percent USA increased, which corresponds to the wage increase of the UAW contracts in the first year. Toyota, Nissan and Honda also increased hourly wages to a similar extent.
Immediately after its collective bargaining success with the US car manufacturers, the UAW confirmed that it also wanted to recruit employees of the German car manufacturers Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz for future negotiations. Simultaneous campaigns to join the union were announced across the country for employees of 13 previously union-free automobile manufacturers. The UAW’s goal is to organize the entire previously union-free automobile sector in the United States. These automakers employ nearly 150,000 workers at their U.S. assembly plants.
The plants of the German car manufacturers Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are located in southern US states, where unions have traditionally had a difficult time. Several attempts by the UAW to win the majority of employees in votes to start collective bargaining negotiations at VW and Mercedes have so far failed. But at least at VW, the union sees itself on the right track with its recent advertising successes.