Workers to get UAW vote at Volkswagen plant in Tennessee
Source: AP
By ERIK SCHELZIG
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday granted the United Auto Workers' petition for a union vote for skilled-trades workers at the German automaker's lone U.S. plant in Tennessee.
The workers responsible for maintaining and repairing machinery and robots at the Chattanooga facility are now scheduled to hold a two-day vote on representation by the United Auto Workers starting on Dec. 3.
There are about 162 skilled-trades workers at the plant, making up about 12 percent of the total blue-collar workforce. Volkswagen had argued that they shouldn't be allowed to negotiate union agreements separately from the remaining 1,200-member production team, and that the union was seeking to carve out a group of workers more likely to vote for the UAW after it lost an acrimonious election among all hourly employees on a 712-626 vote last year.
Volkswagen also questioned the timing of the effort to hold an election amid the fallout of the diesel emissions cheating scandal that has engulfed the company.
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Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/37c026d5b70b495589ba2997d22f05ba/united-auto-workers-gets-ok-union-vote-tenn-plant
