A Volkswagen manufacturing unit in Chattanooga, Tennessee voted to unionize Friday night time, the primary auto manufacturing facility to unionize within the American South for the reason that Nineteen Forties.
President Joe Biden issued a congratulations to the newly-formed union, which obtained 73 p.c votes in favor amongst 3,613 employees, for “their historic vote for union illustration with the United Auto Staff.”
“I used to be proud to face alongside auto employees of their profitable combat for report contracts, and I’m proud to face with auto employees now as they efficiently arrange at Volkswagen,” Biden stated in an announcement.
Final yr, Biden oversaw historic strikes by UAW on the Massive Three automakers: Ford Motor Firm, Basic Motors, and Stellantis, leading to large positive aspects for the union. United Auto Staff formally endorsed Biden for President earlier this yr, together with different distinguished labor unions.
Biden additionally condemned a letter co-signed by six Republican governors that claimed the union vote would damage jobs of their respective states.
“Let me be clear to the Republican governors that attempted to undermine this vote: there’s nothing to concern from American employees utilizing their voice and their authorized proper to kind a union in the event that they so select,” Biden stated.
The closely anti-union sentiment from prime state management amongst Southern states displays the uphill battle confronted by the Volkswagen union drive, which had twice been defeated as lately as 2019, the Related Press reported. Not solely is the union the primary to go a vote within the South since World Battle II, additionally it is the primary foreign-owned auto producer to take action within the area, in keeping with Reuters.
In an interview with the Related Press, UAW President Shawn Fain stated the success of the Massive Three bargaining and bigger union motion final yr has given momentum in beforehand non-unionized areas.
“All we’ve heard for years is ‘we are able to’t win right here, you possibly can’t do that within the south,’ and you may,” Fain stated.
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