Mexican Media Brands
VW May Invite UAW to Organize Tennessee Plant
Volkswagen AG has held discussions with the United Auto Workers union about setting up a Germany-style works council at its assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., which would entail unionizing the facility’s workforce.Human resources chief Horst Neumann tells reporters that VW may propose such a plant in April or May.
#labor
Share
Volkswagen AG has held discussions with the United Auto Workers union about setting up a Germany-style works council at its assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., which would entail unionizing the facility’s workforce.
Human resources chief Horst Neumann tells reporters that VW may propose such a plant in April or May. If the company’s supervisory board approves, labor negotiations could start as early as the second half of this year. The UAW would be the “natural partner,” Neumann adds.
UAW President Bob King has made organizing the U.S. plants of foreign carmakers a top priority. The union has been struggling to make headway at Japanese-owned factories. But it has established ties to Germany’s IG Metall union.
Under the German system, a company negotiates a national agreement with its union or unions. Works councils are elected by the workers at each plant to bargain with management about adapting that pact at the local level.
Establishing a works council in the U.S. without a union could cause legal trouble for VW, according to Neumann.
He says he isn’t sure if the UAW wants to adopt the system because it would require the union to cede some control over pay, benefits and working conditions.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Global Supply of Automotive Fasteners from a Single Source
PennEngineering offers a global supply for a wide range of fasteners for the automotive industry, including China-based facilities that manufacture standard and custom products to world-class standards of quality at lower cost.
-
On The Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2022 Nissan Pathfinder, and More
An inside look at the Detroit Assembly Complex-Mack; a innovative approach to waste-free, two-tone painting; why a forging press is like an F1 car; and other automotive developments.
-
When Automated Production Turning is the Low-Cost Option
For the right parts, or families of parts, an automated CNC turning cell is simply the least expensive way to produce high-quality parts. Here’s why.
