Center says VW Chattanooga workers denied a voice

photo A worker cleans a Volkswagen logo.

An anti-union group said Friday that some Chattanooga Volkswagen plant workers have been denied an opportunity to voice their oppostion to the United Auto Workers.

The Center for Worker Freedom said the VW workers delivered a letter to management today in which they expressed dismay that the company had reportedly allowed representatives from IG Metall, the German union that supports the UAW's effort to organize the plant, to meet with employees at the VW facility.

The center said the workers requested in a letter that they "be allowed to use company meeting facilities between Feb. 3 and Feb. 6 so that we may invite team members before and after work to discuss alternative forms of worker representation."

Also, the workers requested in a separate letter access to the same list of workers eligible to vote in an election that the union will have access to should an election petition be filed. That request, too, was denied, the center said.

"Volkswagen workers opposed to UAW representation have been shut down by management in a blatant attempt to grease the union's move into the company," said center Executive Director Matt Patterson in a statement.

VW couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

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