The American Federation of Auto Workers (UAW) said that employees at the Volkswagen (VWAGY.US) Tennessee plant voted to join the UAW, a landmark victory for trade unions in the long-standing rivalry of the American South.
The Zhitong Finance App learned that the American Federation of Auto Workers (UAW) said,$VOLKSWAGEN A G (VWAGY.US)$Employees at the Tennessee plant voted to join the UAW, a landmark victory for trade unions in the long-standing rivalry of the American South. If the results are officially certified by the US National Labor Relations Board, Volkswagen will be required by law to collectively negotiate the factory's working conditions and compensation.
The victory at the Volkswagen factory was a breakthrough for UAW, and after decades of declining membership, UAW is trying to include$BAYER MOTOREN WERK (BMWYY.US)$,$Toyota Motor (TM.US)$und$Tesla (TSLA.US)$Fourteen companies, including them, added 150,000 workers. The union's membership has declined from 1.5 million in the 1970s to around 370,000. This is due in large part to a failure to win the support of factories in the South, where there are fewer trade unions and more hostile laws and politicians.
UAW Chairman Shawn Fain promised “we can beat anyone” after a record contract win with Detroit's top three automakers. Unions have initiated organizational work in dozens of factories.
UAW was with last fall$Ford Motor (F.US)$,$General Motors (GM.US)$und$Stellantis NV (STLA.US)$A major victory in the negotiations was a major factor in winning the support of Volkswagen workers.
Fain said in an interview on Friday afternoon that Volkswagen workers “should have high expectations for what they can win in the negotiations for the first union contract.” He said, “We want to try to follow the pattern set out in the contract last fall.”
Fain also said he plans to use the win to spawn more wins.
Volkswagen “will be the first domino to fall, and I think this will trigger a ripple effect,” he said on Friday. “Once we show the world that this is possible, I think it will open the door for thousands of other workers to join in and get justice at work.”
The next key test for UAW is the Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama, which will vote on whether to join the UAW in May.
Jeremy Kimbrell, head of the Mercedes Plant Trade Union Organizing Committee, said: “As long as one of the larger plants decides to make a change, there's no question about it.”