Union workers at the Chicago plant are the latest to vote against the contract. The two-day vote is scheduled to begin on December 3. Volkswagen’s attempt to sidestep USA law was a waste of employees’ time and energy, and a waste of government resources.
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Volkswagen opposed the bid for a new election because it would involve only the plant’s maintenance workers, who are about 11% of the plant’s blue collar workforce.
A VW spokesman in Chattanooga on Wednesday said the company “is reviewing the content” of the decision by an NLRB regional director and “considering its options”.
“Overall, the evidence is clear that a works council contradicts the most fundamental aspects of USA labor law”, says the report by the U.S. Chamber. Should the Volkswagen maintenance workers succeed, they could gain undue influence at the plant, he said.
Germany’s largest trade union said on Thursday it would deepen its partnership with the United Auto Workers (UAW) in the United States to help boost labour rights at German automakers and their suppliers based there.
The UAW dismissed those statements as scare tactics, but was unable to stem the tide against the union in the election.
In February 2014, the union lost an election to represent all hourly production workers at the plant by a vote of 712-to-626.
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For the UAW the partnership is a chance to develop new approaches in representing employees’ interests, said Gary Casteel, UAW vice president and head of its organizing effort at foreign-owned plants.
