In what has been described as a massive victory for organised labour in the United States, Volkswagen workers in Tennessee have voted to join the United Autoworkers Union (UAW).
The BBC reports that the vote is the UAW first election win at a car factory in the American South in decades.
This was a risky push for the organisation, which is closely associated with the Democratic Party, into a part of the country that is both staunchly Republican and historically hostile to unions.
Workers in Tennessee − at the only VW factory the US, in Chattanooga − voted 73% in favour, according to the union’s unofficial vote count. Two prior votes at the factory, including in 2019, failed, after stiff political opposition.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, was among the political leaders to speak out against the UAW effort.
According to the BBC, attitudes toward organised labour appear to be shifting.
UAW membership peaked in 1979 at almost 1.5 million.
Today, it represents more than 400 000 active workers across a wide range of sectors, including hospitals and universities, with more than 140 000 members employed at Ford, GM and Stellantis.
The US has seen an increase in strikes and petitions to join unions since the pandemic, drawing in Hollywood actors, Starbucks baristas, tech contractors, healthcare workers, and even college basketball players.
[Image: Sarah Sever from Pixabay]