VW staff in US manufacturing facility arrange union | EUROtoday

The staff of the automotive producer VW on the US plant in Chattanooga have voted by a big majority to be represented by a union. This marks a historic success.

Workers at VW's US plant in Chattanooga have determined to unionize for the third time. This makes VW the primary overseas automotive producer the place the US union UAW is liable for co-determination. The vote is a historic victory for the UAW, which is searching for to broaden its affect past America's three auto giants.

73 p.c of staff agreed

According to VW and the union, 73 p.c of staff voted in favor of being represented by the UAW. The outcome nonetheless must be confirmed by the US authority NLRB. With 3,613 votes forged, 83.5 p.c of staff took half within the vote. 2,628 of them voted for UAW illustration.

UAW union with tailwind

The union has failed twice lately to prepare staff on the Tennessee plant. However, the UAW presently has a tailwind: Last fall, after a weeks-long strike, it pushed by way of higher working circumstances and revenue will increase of round 25 p.c on the US firms General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. The union has thus far had a troublesome time within the southern US states and within the factories of overseas automotive producers. It has additionally not but managed to get a foot within the door with the electrical automotive producer Tesla.

IG Metall at Volkswagen emphasised that Chattanooga was the one manufacturing facility within the group with out worker illustration. The president of the European and world works council at Volkswagen, Daniela Cavallo, stated the workforce in Chattanooga had “written a piece of US union history.” Even in a single UAW contribution to on-line service X it stated: “Volkswagen workers have just made history.”

Voting is imminent at Mercedes in Alabama

UAW goals to signify 13 firms with practically 150,000 staff. Most places are in southern states like Tennessee. There may even be a vote at Mercedes-Benz in Vance, Alabama. It is scheduled to happen from May thirteenth to seventeenth.

With data from Claudia Sarre, ARD Studio Washington