In another blow to United Auto Workers, employees at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant voted against unionization on June 7 with 833 (51.8%) voting against the union and 776 (48.2%) voting for unionization. Overall, 93% of eligible employees voted.
While anti-union employees criticized the union for “the ongoing federal corruption probe of the union in Michigan and for what they felt were unfair attacks by the UAW and its supporters against the automaker,” pro-union employees “had eyed the opportunity to bargain with the company over issues such as health and safety, working conditions, paid time off, and the bolstering of retirement plans” according to the Times Free Press.
The last full union vote in 2014 handed UAW a 712-626 defeat, with a smaller group of maintenance workers going on to approve the union approximately a year later. Volkswagen would not bargain with the smaller unit, stating it wanted a vote of all production and maintenance workers. This vote honored the automaker’s request.
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