Volkswagen’s workers voted in February and narrowly rejected representation by the UAW following intense pressure from Republican politicians. Credit: VW

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volkswagen has formally recognized the United Auto Workers after a years-long effort by the union to organize at the Chattanooga plant. A note was distributed to its 1,500 hourly employees Monday afternoon.

A statement from the German automaker says it has certified that at least 45 percent of employees are UAW members – meeting a new threshold for working with unions even without a formal vote. Workers narrowly rejected the UAW in a union election held in February.

“If you reflect on where we were in February, 10 months ago, did we ever think we’d be in the position that we are today? No,” UAW secretary-treasurer Gary Casteel told reporters on a conference call Tuesday.

Volkswagen’s new labor policy specifically sidesteps the issue of collective bargaining, but Casteel says the union intends to challenge that point in the first meeting with plant management. The UAW contends Volkswagen has already made a “mutually agreed-upon” commitment to let the union negotiate pay and benefits on behalf of worker, citing a meeting last spring in Germany.

“We don’t know what the pathway to exclusive representation or collective bargaining is. But one thing’s for certain. We’re now discussing that with the company, not outside looking in,” Casteel said.

It’s further than the UAW has gotten anywhere else in the region, says labor expert Daniel Cornfield of Vanderbilt University.

“It’s a step towards achieving unionized collective bargaining in a southern automobile plant, but they’re not there yet,” he said.

UAW officials agree and say reaching collective bargaining will take more than a couple of weeks, maybe even a couple more years.

A competing union called the American Council of Employees had vowed to also represent a portion of VW workers. However, the Detroit Free Press reports that so far the union has not submitted a list of members to be audited for recognition.

2:00 pm: updated with quotes from Gary Casteel