VW workers in Tennessee vote to join UAW in historic win for Detroit union

2 comments

1. “Union organizing passed with 73% of the vote, or 2,628 workers, in support for the UAW, according to the National Labor Relations Board, which oversaw the election. A total of roughly 3,620, or about 84%, of the 4,326 eligible VW workers voted in the election, the NLRB said. Seven ballots were challenged and three others were voided.

   “In a historic victory, an overwhelming majority of Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, have voted to join the UAW,” the union said in a release Friday night before official results were released by the NLRB. “While votes continue to be tallied, the outcome is clear: Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga are the first Southern autoworkers outside of the Big Three to win their union.”

   “We will await certification of the results by the NLRB,” the company said. “Volkswagen thanks its Chattanooga workers for voting in this election.”

   UAW leaders and supporters are expected to use the win as a launching point for the union’s unprecedented organizing campaign of 13 automakers in the U.S. following major contract wins last year with General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler parent Stellantis.

   President Joe Biden, who has heavily supported organized labor and the UAW, congratulated the union on its “historic vote.”

   The successful organizing drive comes days

   Despite six Republican governors of Southern states, including Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, released a joint statement condemning the UAW’s push
   to organize in their states.

2. More on this subject from other reputable sources:

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   – NPR (B+): [Volkswagen workers vote yes to unionizing, igniting UAW’s push to organize the South ](https://www.npr.org/2024/04/19/1244291402/volkswagen-union-election-ballot-tally-united-auto-workers)
   – Reuters (A): [UAW clinches watershed union victory at Volkswagen Tennessee factory](http://reut.rs/3vYZ6gk)
   – Washington Post (B): [Governors of six Southern states warn workers against joining UAW union](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/04/16/republican-governors-uaw/)
   – PBS (A-): [Tennessee Volkswagen workers approve of joining UAW union in historic vote](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/tennessee-volkswagen-workers-approve-of-joining-uaw-union-in-historic-vote)

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