Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly



While the UAW was defeated in a February election at Volkswagen's Chattanooga factory, it wasn't enough to deter the union from future attempts at organizing the factory's labor force.

According to The Tennessean, the UAW is set to announce the formation of a union local for the plant's employees. Membership will be voluntary, and the union reports that VW won't formally recognize the local until a majority of the plant's workers join up.

"We will be announcing a local, and we would fully expect that Volkswagen would deal with this local union if it represents a substantial portion of its employees," the UAW's Region 8 director, Gary Casteel, told The Tennessean.

Apparently, the union has been considering this move since its 712-626 defeat in February, although the final decision was only made this week.

"The election was so close, we don't feel it's right to turn our backs on these workers," Casteel said.

The official announcement will be made at 4:00 PM today.