An employee works on a Passat sedan at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga in this file photoThe American Council of Employees said today it’s concerned the United Auto Workers will try to avoid an employee election at the Volkswagen plant and instead have VW recognize the union using a method known as “card check.”
“The VW-Chattanooga employees have repeatedly expressed our expectation that any decision on labor representation be made by the employees themselves, fairly and accurately through a secret ballot election. We are all well aware of the threats and intimidation tactics used by the UAW to pressure workers in past card check campaigns,” said ACE President Sean Moss in a statement.
Maury Nicely, an attorney for the labor group that’s a rival to the UAW at the VW plant, termed the UAW’s move “incredibly suspect.”
He said it shows “once again that the UAW is counting on receiving support under the table from Volkswagen, so it can cut a back-room deal, without which it would not stand a chance of success. And now they are pushing Volkswagen to strip employees of their right to choose, and to unilaterally acknowledge the UAW as the exclusive representative. Obviously this is not in the best interests of the employees.”
Mike Cantrell, president of UAW Local 42 in Chattanooga, said recently that it wants VW to recognize the union by checking its membership cards rather than holding another employee election.