Volkswagen of America today filed a legal appeal of the decision of the National Labor Relations Board ordering the auto maker to negotiate with the United Auto Workers for a new contract with skilled production workers in Chattanooga.
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“This unanimous decision makes it clear that the company has been operating in violation of federal Lawby refusing to come to the bargaining table”, UAW Secretary-Treasurer Gary Castle said in a statement.
The UAW lost a plant-wide vote to unionise in 2014 and Volkswagenhad refused to recognise the maintenance workers, saying they did not represent the plant’s production workers.
VW spokesman Scott Wilson said the company was “disappointed that the NLRB declined to evaluate” Volkswagen’s objections to having hourly workers in a plant separated and not vote on representation as an entire group. The NLRB decision for the UAW in the dispute was highly anticipated, and VW had previously said it would appeal if the ruling went against the German-based company.
“We urge Volkswagen to accept the NLRB order and bargain with the local union at the earliest possible date”.
The news agency noted the vote marked a rare victory for the union in the US south where it has fought many unsuccessful battles to organise non-unionised vehicle plants.
The UAW has been thwarted for decades in its efforts to organize workers at foreign-owned auto plants in the South.
Earlier on Thursday, the head of IG Metall, Joerg Hofman, demanded that VW enter talks with the UAW-represented workers. Company leaders want the union to represent all the employees-not just the group of about 150 maintenance workers.
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“As always”, a VW spokesperson said in a statement, “Volkswagen respects the right of all of our employees to decide the question of union representation”.
