The National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday filed an unfair labor relations complaint against Volkswagen after the United Auto Workers charged that the automaker refused to bargain with it at VW’s Chattanooga plant.
Typically, employers such as Volkswagen will answer the complaint and then the NLRB’s regional director will seek summary judgment by the board, according to the federal agency.
Refusal to bargain is the mechanism parties use to move such cases into federal appeals court, which Volkswagen said Monday it planned to do.
The UAW won an election last December at the Chattanooga factory by a 108-44 vote from its skilled trades workforce. VW had wanted both skilled trades, who maintain and fix the robots at the plant, and production employees to vote in the election. Two years ago, the UAW lost an election of the entire unit by 712 to 626.
Chattanooga labor law attorney Dan Gilmore said that what’s an appropriate voting unit is best addressed in an unfair labor practice proceeding.