Volkswagen employees in Tennessee voted overwhelmingly to unionize on Friday (April 19), marking a watershed moment for organized labor in the American South. The election results on Friday, show an overwhelming 73 percent support for union representation by the United Auto Workers (UAW) at the Chattanooga facility, which has been in operation for 13 years. Over three days, more than 3,600 of the 4,326 workers eligible to vote cast their ballots.
“Volkswagen workers just made history!” said a UAW post on X accompanied by a celebratory video applauding the employees for their decision.
After Chattanooga vote, attention has shifted to the impending election at a Mercedes-Benz factory in Vance, Alabama
This victory adds to the list of accomplishments for UAW President Shawn Fain, who took office in March 2023. Fain’s leadership was critical in obtaining major salary increases for members after the “Stand Up Strike” at Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis last fall.
“Many of the talking heads and the pundits have said to me repeatedly, before we announced, that you can’t win in the South. But you all said, watch this. You all moved the mountain,” Fain told the crowd, according to media reports.
In November 2023, President Fain unveiled an aggressive drive to unionize 13 companies, totaling approximately 150,000 employees, with an emphasis on southern regions such as Tennessee. Chattanooga was the first facility to have an election under this concept.
“Let me be clear to the Republican governors that tried to undermine this vote: there is nothing to fear from American workers using their voice and their legal right to form a union if they so choose,” Biden said in a statement after the victory was announced.
Following the Chattanooga vote, attention has shifted to the impending election at a Mercedes-Benz factory in Vance, Alabama. This vote, scheduled to take place from May 13 to 17, will be keenly monitored as another potential milestone for organized labor in the region, as stated by the National Labor Relations Board earlier in the week.