Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga voted overwhelmingly to join the United Auto Workers Friday night, giving the union a decisive foothold in the historically anti-union South.
Nearly three-quarters of workers voted for the UAW, according to final results from the National Labor Review Board. Of the 4,326 workers eligible to vote, more than 3,600 cast ballots over the three days of the election.
As votes were counted Friday evening, first a trickle — and later, a wave — of bold red T-shirts with white letters dotted the union hall Friday evening at IBEW Local 175.
Joseph McMullen entered the room around 9 p.m., expecting that many of his colleagues at Volkswagen had voted in favor of forming a union. But he wasn’t prepared for the massive pro-union support displayed on a projection screen.
“I think it’s important,” said McMullen, an Alabama native who works in the quality department. “It sends a message.”
When news of the final victory was announced, members of the crowd jumped, clapped and hugged each other. Minutes later, UAW President Shawn Fain arrived to congratulate the VW workers.
“A lot of talking heads and pundits told me repeatedly, before we announced it, that you can’t win in the South,” Fain told the cheering crowd. “But you all said, ‘Look at this.’ You all moved the mountain.
The victory came despite strong opposition from a coalition of six Southern governors, including Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. On Tuesday, Lee wrote a letter urging workers to reject unions.
Once the victory was announced, President Joe Biden responded directly to these governors in a statement.
“Let me be clear to the Republican governors who tried to undermine this vote: There is nothing to fear about American workers using their voice and their legal right to form a union if they choose,” Biden said.
The third time, the charm? How the VW Chattanooga Plant Finally Unionized
The UAW had previously unsuccessfully attempted to organize the VW plant twice, once in 2013 and again in 2019.
The election was part of a major campaign by the UAW to gain new members in the South, a region historically hostile to unions. In recent years, automakers have been moving from the Midwest to the South, with foreign automakers and emerging companies such as Tesla and Rivian opening factories in the region.
After years of scandals and declining membership, the UAW has seen its fortunes improve under the leadership of Fain, who was elected in 2023. Last year, the UAW staged a strike against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis which resulted in a favorable new contract for 145,000 workers, including employees at nearby Spring Hill.
The UAW’s ability to organize southern workers will be tested again in May, when workers at the Mercedes-Benz plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, vote on whether they also want to join the union.
“It’s a new day and we’re just getting started,” Fain said.
Todd A. Price is a Southern regional reporter for the USA TODAY Network. He can be contacted at [email protected].