April 22nd 2024.
The recent victory of the United Auto Workers in an election at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee has sparked hope within the organization. This triumph is seen as a sign of potential success throughout the historically union-hostile South. It marks the first time that the UAW has won an election at a foreign automotive company's assembly plant in the region.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the UAW won with an impressive 73% of the vote, despite being blocked in previous attempts in 2014 and 2019. Notably, the plant was the only one in the world owned by Volkswagen that did not have any worker representation, or union presence. After the groundbreaking win, UAW President Shawn Fein joined organizers in Tennessee to celebrate. In a speech, he praised the workers, saying, "But you all said, 'Watch this.' You guys are leading the way. We're going to carry this fight on to Mercedes and everywhere else."
Fein's mention of Mercedes refers to the two plants owned by the company in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Experts, including labor relations professor Harry Katz from Cornell University, believe that these plants will be more challenging to unionize due to their location in the deep South. "They are going to face much greater resistance from management and even the community than they did in Chattanooga," Katz explained to U.S. News & World Report. "VW management did not actively oppose unionization, but Mercedes will be a real test. It's the deep South, after all."
Katz's prediction is supported by the fact that six Southern governors, including Alabama's Governor Kay Ivey, have already issued warnings to workers against joining the UAW's union. Other governors who signed a joint statement expressing their concerns were Greg Abbott of Texas, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Henry McMaster of South Carolina, and Bill Lee of Tennessee. The letter presents their stance as one of protecting workers, stating, "We, the governors of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, are highly concerned about the UAW's campaign to unionize our states using misinformation and scare tactics. As governors, we have a responsibility to speak out against special interests that threaten our jobs and values."
Contrary to the governors' claims that unionization is not in the workers' best interests, NPR spoke to employees at the Tennessee plant who voted in favor of unionization. It is worth noting that Southern governors often offer incentives to attract foreign automakers to the region and assure them that they will not have to deal with the UAW unless they choose to. In the past, these auto worker jobs have paid well enough that workers did not feel the need for union representation. However, with the UAW's $40 million investment in the South, this sentiment may be changing. Quinton North, a Black worker at Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant, shared that Fein's leadership was a key factor in his decision to switch his vote from no to yes. "He has truly shown that he is for the workers," North stated.
Even President Joe Biden weighed in on the matter, addressing the attempts of Republican governors to use fear tactics to discourage unionization. In a statement, he affirmed the right of American workers to choose whether or not a union represents their best interests. "To the Republican governors who tried to undermine this vote, let me be clear: there is nothing to fear from American workers exercising their voice and legal right to form a union, should they choose to do so."
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