Volkswagen Tennessee workers vote in favor of joining UAW

In yet another win for the United Auto Workers (UAW), Volkswagen (VW) workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted to join the union yesterday, marking the first successful election vote for unionization in a Southern auto factory since the 1940s.

Certification of the result by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is pending, after which Volkswagen is required to bargain with the union.

President Joe Biden congratulated the UAW on the “historic vote.”

The victory is a significant milestone following the union’s success with major contract wins at the Big Three automakers, GM, Ford and Stellantis, last year.

The move is expected to boost UAW’s campaign to organize the factories of automakers in the south, especially those that have their HQs abroad—including BMW, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Lucid, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Rivian, Subaru and Volvo. The UAW is also eying Tesla factories in Texas, Nevada and California.

Increasing support for unions
The victory in Tennessee comes amid a broader trend of growing momentum for the labor movement in America.

The number of petitions for union elections has increased 35% this year compared to 2023, according to the NLRB. The support for unions in the US is at 67% after hitting a record low during the Great Recession, per a Gallup survey.