Chattanooga’s Volkswagen workers are making an effort to form a local union so they can develop an inclusive, German-style works council system consistent with the VW culture and philosophy.
Meanwhile, it has become increasingly obvious there are some who have not taken the time to learn the facts relating to the VW system, culture and philosophy and who want to make this an ideological confrontation.
VW workers in Chattanooga are simply exercising their legal right to form a union and should not be subject to threats and innuendo from politicians nor misrepresentation of the facts by anti-union attack groups. The fact is that VW believes in employee representation. Their philosophy is based on “co-determination,” a system I have seen up close during several trips to Germany.
Co-determination encourages open communication and involves all parties in joint decision-making through an entity called the “works council.” To be in compliance with U.S. labor law a union must be recognized before formation of a works council. Unions engage cooperatively with management to improve quality and efficiency and creatively address workplace problems. All other VW facilities worldwide have representation and belong to the VW Global Works Council.
Chattanooga should not be the only facility outside of this system. For the Chattanooga plant to be an outlier weakens its position inside the VW system.