Automotive
VW workers in Tennessee vote to join UAW
Written by Michael Cowden
April 21, 2024
Workers at Volkswagen’s assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., have voted overwhelmingly to join the United Autoworkers (UAW) union.
More than 3,600 ballots were cast, with 73% of Chattanooga workers voting to join the UAW and only 27% voting against unionization, per the UAW.
Volkswagen on Friday confirmed the tally and said it was awaiting certification of the results from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
The plant in Chattanooga is Volkswagen’s only US assembly plant. It makes the Volkswagen ID.4 and Volkswagen Atlas SUVs.
The development follows big gains in wages and benefits negotiated by the UAW last year among the “Big Three” Detroit-area automakers: Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. The union has used that accomplishment to gain traction in the South, where the auto industry is often characterized by foreign ownership and non-union workforces.
“People in high places told us good things can’t happen here in Chattanooga. They told us this isn’t the time to stand up, this isn’t the place,” Kelcey Smith, a worker in the paint department, said in a UAW release on Friday.
“But we did stand up and we won. This is the time; this is the place. Southern workers are ready to stand up and win a better life,” he added.
Volkswagen is headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. The UAW said it would turn its sites next to Mercedes-Benz, another German automaker.
Mercedes-Benz operates an assembly plant in Vance, Ala. Workers there are scheduled to vote May 13-17 on whether to join the union. Vance, near Tuscaloosa, Ala., makes the GLE and GLS series SUVs.
Michael Cowden
Read more from Michael CowdenLatest in Automotive
ArcelorMittal to start building Calvert NGO electrical steel line this year
ArcelorMittal announced on Thursday that it will begin the construction of its new $1.2-billion electrical steel mill in Alabama later this year. The steelmaker said it is proceeding with plans to build the new greenfield mill near its existing AM/NS joint venture in Calvert, Ala. The ArcelorMittal Calvert plant will have an annealing pickling line, […]
North American auto assemblies fall in December
North American auto assemblies dropped in December, a sharp 22.6% fall below November, reaching the lowest mark in over three years. Assemblies were also down 5.7% year on year (y/y), according to LMC Automotive data. December’s assemblies reached the lowest total since July 2021. Sentiment remains tempered as carmakers continue to downgrade and adjust vehicle […]
US light-vehicle sales accelerate again in December
US light-vehicle (LV) sales jumped to an unadjusted 1.49 million units in December, a rise of 9.6% from November and 2% from a year ago, according to data from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. On an annualized basis, LV sales were 16.8 million units in December, up from 15.6 million units the month prior […]
Stellantis seeks new CEO after Tavares steps down
The move comes less than two months after Tavares announced that he would step down in early 2026.
North American auto assemblies reach 14-month high in October
North American auto assemblies rallied in October, rising 11.3% above September, reaching the best output year to date. Assemblies were also up 7% year on-year (y/y), according to LMC Automotive data.