Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga voted overwhelmingly late Friday to join the United Auto Workers, giving the union a decisive leg up in the historically anti-union South.
According to the National Labor Review Board's final results, nearly three-quarters of workers voted in favor of the UAW. Of the 4,326 workers eligible to vote, more than 3,600 voted in the three-day election.
When the votes were counted Friday night, first a trickle — and then a wave — of bold, red T-shirts with white lettering poured into the union hall at IBEW Local 175 Friday evening.
Joseph McMullen entered the hall around 9 p.m., expecting many of his Volkswagen colleagues to vote to unionize. But he was unprepared for the massive pro-union support shown on a projection screen.
“I think it's important,” said McMullen, an Alabama native who works in the quality department. “It sends a message.”
When the news of the final victory was announced, the crowd jumped, cheered and hugged. Minutes later, UAW President Shawn Fine arrived to greet the VW workers.
“Many of the talking heads and pundits told me many times before we announced that you can't win in the South,” Fine told the cheering crowd. “But you all said, ‘Look at this.’ You all moved the mountain.
The victory came despite strong opposition from a coalition of six southern governors, including Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. On Tuesday, Lee wrote a letter urging workers to reject unions.
After the victory was announced, President Joe Biden responded directly to those governors in a statement.
“To the Republican governors who tried to undermine this vote, let me be clear: American workers have nothing to fear as they exercise their voice and their legal right to form a union if they want to,” Biden said.
Third time's the charm? How Chattanooga's VW Plant Finally Unionized
The UAW has tried and failed to organize a VW plant, once in 2013 and twice in 2019.
The election is part of the UAW's major campaign to win new members in the South, which has historically been hostile to organized labor. In recent years, carmakers have shifted from the Midwest to the South, with foreign automakers and high-profile companies such as Tesla and Rivian opening in the region.
After years of scandals and dwindling membership, the UAW saw its fortunes rise under the leadership of Fein, who was elected in 2023. Last year, the UAW held a strike against Ford, General Motors and Stellandis, leading to a favorable new contract. 145,000 workers, including employees at nearby Spring Hill.
The UAW's ability to organize southern workers will be tested again in May, when workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, vote on whether they want to join the union.
“It's a new day and we're just getting started,” Fine said.
Todd A. Price is a regional reporter for the USA TODAY Network in the South. He can be approached [email protected].
