This month, the elected bargaining committee for the United Auto Workers (UAW) at the Chattanooga Volkswagen plant reached a tentative agreement with the company on a new contract that would meaningfully and significantly improve the lives of workers, their families and our local communities.
Having won their historic union vote in April 2024, VW employees are on the verge of making history again by signing the first fair union contract for autoworkers at a foreign-owned factory in the U.S. South. This will be a groundbreaking achievement, and one that can redefine labor relations in the South for the better.
(IN THE NEWS: Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga approve union contract)
This has not been an easy road. VW workers and the UAW faced constant harassment and threats from powerful interests for more than a decade. Only in October, when the workers approved a strike authorization, did the company truly recognize the workers’ resolve and commitment. There is a significant lesson here: When workers stand together in solidarity, there is no greater power against corporate greed and capitalist exploitation.
The bargaining committee endured 17 months of onerous negotiations with VW. The company used nearly all its power to avoid meeting the workforce’s priorities, especially around health care and job security. The workers’ demands for more affordable health care and protections against outsourcing are hardly unreasonable. Since 2024, employees at Ford, GM and Stellantis facilities across the country, including in the South, have enjoyed these benefits. Chattanooga’s VW workers merely wanted what has become the industry standard.