Nearly 18 months after Volkswagen employees overwhelmingly voted to join the United Auto Workers union, and almost a full year after negotiations on a contract began, Chattanooga City Council member Ron Elliott of Missionary Ridge said he’s personally ready to see the two sides reach an agreement.
“While these conversations are good, it’s time to land the plane,” Elliott said in a phone call. “It’s time to make sure we etch out a deal so folks can move past it.”
The Chattanooga City Council may vote on a resolution in the coming weeks that would lend support to the union’s contract discussions with the German automaker. Council members were originally set consider the item Tuesday, but members pushed it to their Sept. 30 meeting, allowing time to review the language.
“The men and women of United Auto Workers Local 42 represent the best qualities of the working people of Chattanooga, performing difficult work for long hours at significant risk of chronic injury and producing quality products that are enjoyed throughout the country and world,” the resolution states.
Autoworkers in Chattanooga deserve wages and benefits comparable to those in Spring Hill, Tennessee, where workers at a battery plant recently voted to join the UAW, and other car factories throughout the country, the resolution continues. Improvement in conditions, wages and benefits for workers at Volkswagen boosts the prospects of workers throughout the region and encourages them in self-advocacy and organization, the item states.