Volkswagen says it will press for the establishment of a works council at its Chattanooga site following the employees’ surprise decision to vote against having UAW representation at the Tennessee plant.

In a surprise result, 53% of workers at the factory voted against the UAW, a decision the union branded as taking place against a “firestorm of interference and threats from special interest groups”.

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Details of any establishment of a works council have yet to be announced, but if it follows the German model, it could see worker representation at a significantly high level within the company.

“They [employees] have spoken, and Volkswagen will respect the decision of the majority,” said Volkswagen Chattanooga CEO and chairman, Frank Fischer. “The election results remain to be certified by the NLRB.” [National Labor Relations Board]

“Our employees have not made a decision they are against a works council. Throughout this process, we found great enthusiasm for the idea of an American-style works council both inside and outside our plant.

“Our goal continues to be to determine the best method for establishing a works council in accordance with the requirements of US labour law to meet VW America’s production needs and serve our employees’ interests.”

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The UAW has reacted with fury however, to the vote which saw staff reject their representation efforts by 712 votes to 626, although the labour body maintains a positive decision would have led to the establishment of a works council.
 
“While we certainly would have liked a victory for workers here, we deeply respect the Volkswagen global group works council, Volkswagen management and IG Metall for doing their best to create a free and open atmosphere for workers to exercise their basic human right to form a union,” said UAW president, Bob King.
 
For his part, UAW Region 8 director, Gary Casteel, who organises the union in the south, said: “We commend Volkswagen for its commitment to global human rights, to worker rights and trying to provide an atmosphere of freedom to make a decision.

“Unfortunately, politically motivated third parties threatened the economic future of this facility and the opportunity for workers to create a successful operating model that that would grow jobs in Tennessee.”
 
Senator Bob Corker (R), who as mayor of Chattanooga from 2001-2005 worked to develop the Enterprise South Industrial Park, currently housing Volkswagen’s North America headquarters, said he was “thrilled” for the employees.

“We’re proud these workers were brave and stood up to the tremendous pressure from outside,” said UAW secretary-treasurer Dennis Williams, who directs the union’s transnational programme.

“We hope this will start a larger discussion about workers’ right to organise.”