Workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted overwhelmingly to join the United Auto Workers, becoming the first Southern autoworkers outside of the Big Three to do so in a region long resistant to unionization.
Almost three-quarters of 3,613 workers voted for UAW representation in the three-day election, the National Labor Relations Board confirmed late Friday, after announcements by the union and Volkswagen.
The outcome is huge win for the UAW, which had twice previously failed to unionize the Chattanooga facility and which has for decades faced an uphill climb organizing workers in Southern states. The vote also gives the UAW added momentum in its campaign to unionize a dozen, mostly foreign automakers in the South. The initiative follows a historic six-week strike last fall against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis that led to major wage gains.
"The real fight begins now. The real fight is getting your fair share, the real fight is the fight to get more time with your family, the real fight is to fight for our union contract," UAW President Shawn Fain told VW workers celebrating their victory at a union hall in Chattanooga.
