U.S. Sen. Bob Corker of Chattanooga on Thursday joined 11 other senators to introduce legislation that would reverse a 2011 National Labor Relations Board decision that allows so-called micro-unions – an issue impacting the city’s Volkswagen plant.
“This decision by the National Labor Relations Board is a perfect example of tremendous overreach at the federal level,” said the Tennessee Republican in a statement. “As a former businessman, I understand how difficult it can be for employers to create good-paying jobs when the government oversteps, and I’m pleased to join my colleagues in this effort to reverse a disruptive action that fragments the workplace.”
The issue of micro-unions is at the heart of an ongoing dispute at Chattanooga’s Volkswagen plant, where a group of skilled trades workers voted 108 to 44 in 2015 to align with the United Auto Workers.
While the NLRB certified the vote, VW has challenged it and refused to bargain with the employees, saying it wants its entire blue-collar workforce to decide the union issue.
In 2014, Chattanooga plant workers had voted against UAW representation 712 to 626.