Omne trium perfectum — translated into English — means everything that comes in threes is perfect.
It may not be perfect, but United Auto Workers' organizers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga hope that indeed their third attempt at forming a union will be successful.
Earlier this month, VW employees said they had already gotten more than 1,000 signatures on union authorization cards. According to labor law, to secure a vote, 30% of the bargaining unit is needed (about 1,500 signatures).
Organizers are emboldend this time around after the UAW secured major contracts with the so-called Detroit Three automakers: Ford, GM and Stellantis.
Yolanda Peoples, a 12-year Volkswagen plant worker, has been a part of each of the union efforts here, dating back to 2013.
She believes that an engaged rollout of information will get organizers the votes they need.
"Give employees a little more knowledge on exactly what the UAW is and what's possible with the UAW," she said. "Communication is key."
In 2019, VW workers rejected the union, but the vote was close: 51.8% against to 48.2% for the union.
In the 2014 election, the margin was 53.2% against the union and 46.8% for the UAW.
Peoples said the second vote was a tough loss.
"We thought we were doing the best we could in getting the word out as best as we could the second time around so it [hurt] the second time because we lost by such a small margin."
Perspective on unions have shifted
UAW and organizers at the VW plant hope to ride a wave of interest in unionizing. When the UAW in the Detroit Three decided to strike, it was criticized for wanting too much, but it seems the strategy worked in workers' favor.
In new contracts, the union gained previously lost benefits, wage increases and the reopening of a Stellantis plant.
More than two-thirds of Americans approve of labor unions, according to a Gallup poll. The percentage is even higher for Americans younger than 30 — 88% responded to a poll from AFL-CIO saying they support labor unions.
Tennessee is seeing renewed support for unions. Union membership in the Volunteer State grew by more than 39% from to 163,000 members last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Still, at about 5%, organized labor represents only a fraction of workers in Tennessee.
The UAW has set its sights on the South, where foreign automakers now operate numerous plants and have become influential employers in a region where union interest has not been as strong as in the Midwest.
Recently the UAW brought an unfair labor practices complaint against Volkswagen in Chattanooga. The filing with the National Labor Relations Board asserts Volkswagen Group of America has been "threatening, restraining and coercing employees from exercising their rights."
During a Facebook livestream last Monday, UAW President Shawn Fain spoke specifically about the filing from Chattanooga.
"In just a week, over a thousand workers signed union authorization cards," Fain said. "Fearing the momentum they were seeing, Volkswagen management lashed out." Fain goes on to explain an incident where security guards told workers not to pass out union materials.
Peoples recalls an incident in which a security guard told VW workers to stop handing out union pamphlets at a plant gate.
It will take communication and persistence to persuade VW workers to approve a union at the plant. The organizers and UAW seem pretty aware of that.
For its part, VW announced workers in Chattanooga would get an 11% wage hike. The company issued a statement in which it said it "respect(s) the right of our workers to determine who should represent their interests in the workplace."
Whatever it takes
Peoples is a part of a UAW legacy that began with her grandfather and then father.
"Just to know that I was part of making Volkswagen the best place to work possible in Chattanooga would be absolutely amazing," Peoples said.
That safety net is worth fighting for, regardless of how long it takes. Let's hope the third time is a charm for the VW workforce in Chattanooga.