#Uaw

Workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted to unionize on Friday. But the UAW won't stop there.

Fresh off a great year for the United Autoworkers Union (UAW), which saw wins against the Detroit Big Three automakers, union president Shawn Fain set his sights on several other automakers across the American South. Volkswagen, which operates a factory and offices in Chattanooga, TN, was first. Its efforts were successful. Despite the most recent vote being the third attempt to organize workers there, the UAW’s efforts were finally awarded with a strong vote to unionize.

Matt went long on the UAW's drive to unionize auto plants located in the American South.

With the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America International Union (UAW) seeking to expand in the Southern United States, Republican governors have started to condemn the action on the grounds that it would be detrimental to the economy. Governors in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas released a joint statement against the UAW shortly before Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, were supposed to begin voting on whether or not to unionize.

United Auto Workers union president Shawn Fain has not been shy about his desire to organize non-union auto factories in the United States, and a new report suggests he’s making headway. Automotive News reported that Volkswagen’s Chattanooga assembly plant will hold its third union election in mid-April, setting the stage for what could be another dramatic win for the popular leader.

Volkswagen employees in Chattanooga, TN, have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a vote to join the UAW. Clearly pleased, the union shared this world with the news on Monday to be accompanied by the requisite media agitprop.

This will be the first time a non-union automotive plant has filed for a union election in quite some time. The UAW called it a “grassroots effort” following the UAW’s previous contract negotiations with Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis.

During last week's State of the Union address, President Joe Biden made a claim that seemed to suggest that his administration, along with the UAW, helped Stellantis resurrect a plant in Belvidere, Illinois. Did it actually happen that way?

The answer is unclear.

Despite trying to stay away from politicians during last year’s labor strike, United Auto Workers’ leadership endorsed Joe Biden for president on Wednesday. This comes after union-head Shawn Fain said UAW dealings with domestic automakers would not be undermined by those seeking to garner political support. Now, Fain is backing Biden on claims that his administration supports the American workforce.

Tesla is famously non-union, but it’s not immune to the effects of a well-negotiated UAW contract. The automaker is significantly boosting pay for workers at its factory in Sparks, Nevada, by as much as ten percent, bringing it closer in line with the wage increases seen by union auto workers.

When all else fails, blame the government. Stellantis, whose brands include Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, and Fiat, recently announced layoffs that it blamed on the selective application of California Air Resource Board (CARB) rules. The move could impact thousands of jobs at the company’s Jeep factories in Detroit and Ohio, where it builds the Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, and Gladiator.

While the United Auto Workers’ contract seems to be a done deal for all three Detroit-based automakers, Ford is the only brand that’s issued any formal statements on ratification thus far. But there’s not much to pick apart in the release. The company avoided opportunities to promote itself as the brand that seemed most willing to accommodate the UAW and only brushed against assertions that paying workers more would add to its operational costs.

Despite several large facilities voting against the UAW labor contract negotiated with Detroit automakers, the deal has been ratified by union members from both General Motors and Stellantis. This is based on the UAW’s own vote tracker and has put to bed any serious fears that GM might have to reenter negotiations.

While Ford’s voting hasn’t yet reached the point where we can say anything definitive, its negotiations with the union also went the best. The Blue Oval offered sweeter deals than rival automakers and sooner, too. It’s on the brink of ratification and may even have reached that point by the time you’re reading this.

Unionized Ford workers in Louisville, Kentucky, and General Motors employees from Spring Hill, Tennessee, have voted no on the contract agreement reached by the United Auto Workers. While this only represents a fraction of the UAW votes needed to ratify the updated contract, it’s a sign that the deal hasn’t yet gone through and may not if the trend continues. 

With Honda having followed Toyota in offering employee raises in the wake of the United Auto Workers (UAW) appearing to have settled contract negotiations in Detroit, the rest of the industry appears to have set off a Domino Rally of wage increases. Hyundai is now offering manufacturing workers more than they were making last year and has promised to bump pay by 25 percent through 2028.

One of the most common refrains from automaker PR departments is “we cannot comment on future product.” Fortunately, the recent agreement between Stellantis and the UAW blew the doors wide open on that particular topic – at least for the Auburn Hills company.