Workers at Volkswagen’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, are to decide whether they want union representation.
Jonathan Browning, head of Volkswagen of America, told Reuters the company expects Chattanooga plant workers to have a strong voice in its operations.
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He added “We certainly are interested in hearing from the employees as to whether they believe formal representation is something that they desire. If employees vote in favour of formal representation, then it’s important to understand that there are a number of alternatives that may or may not include the UAW.”
Browning said no vote has been scheduled and the issue is in the very early stages of discussions.
Reuters noted that historically, car factories in the southern US have been hostile to unions. Last year the UAW was unsuccessful in trying to get signatures of support from workers at the VW Chattanooga plant. However, earlier this month, a letter from IG Metall, the union that represents VW workers in Germany, to Chattanooga plant workers urged them to join the UAW.
Also this month, Horst Neumann, VW’s board member in charge of human resources, said the company was in exploratory talks with the UAW about setting up a German style labour board at the Tennessee factory.
If the plant’s workers decide to join the UAW, they would be the first workforce of a foreign owned major auto assembly plant to do so in recent years.
Expanding his union’s membership by organising an assembly plant of a foreign automaker has been a target UAW president Bob King since he took up the post three years ago.
The union is also talking about organising workers at two Nissan plants in Jackson, Mississippi, and Nashville, Tennessee.
Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn said at the New York motor show last week it wasn’t the first nor would it be the last time the UAW tries to organise his company’s US plants. He said the workers at the plants would decide but added the company prefers direct communication with its employees.
Hyundai’s America head John Krafcik declined to comment on the UAW’s moves and Daimler’s Mercedes said it was neutral on the subject while union representation at the company’s Alabama plant was up to the workers.
