Election set for union vote of Chattanooga VW plant maintenance workers

As such, even though the majority of GM UAW members overall supported the tentative agreement with 55.4 percent voting for its ratification, it could be ratified immediately since 59.5 percent of skilled trades workers opposed the deal. Most likely, the UAW leadership would spend a few days talking to Ford workers in order to understand their concerns, and then ask Ford to return to the negotiating table.

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 December 3.

Members of UAW Local 862 in Louisville, Ky., which represents about 18 percent of Ford’s USA work force, rejected the tentative agreement by a 2-1 margin.

The move has been in the works for months, but comes against the backdrop of scandal at Volkswagen, which has been the UAW’s chief target among foreign automakers in the U.S. Should the Volkswagen maintenance workers succeed, they could gain undue influence at the plant, he said.

“If we thought there was another buck on the table we would have got it the first time”, Local 600 President Bernie Ricke said.

He added, “A lot of people, especially younger people, think you just go and open door No. 2 and see if something is behind door No. 2. That is not how real negotiations go”, he said.

The new office will be located near the General Motors plant in the Nashville suburb of Spring Hill.

“I like it. It’s the best we can get out of 12 years of having to get nothing”, said the 26-year union veteran outside of Local 600 in Dearborn. The current deal includes a three percent raise, an $8,500 signing bonus and billions in company investment. But after workers at the Kansas City, Mo., plant and the Louisville, Ky., plant rejected the deal, Chicago’s vote was being closely watched.

UAW leaders say the proposed agreement with Ford is the richest in history.

Ford’s workers in Dearborn, where the company has three factories, could provide a crucial swing vote.

The skilled trades workers maintain the production machinery at the plant that makes Passat sedans.

But, Dziczek said, “They’re probably not going to get them back, whatever happens”.

The Fiat Chrysler contract set a pattern followed by GM and Ford, which essentially ends a two-tiered system that paid UAW members hired after 2007 less than those hired before that year.

“It would be very hard to tell their unionized workers back in Germany – who also have a say in how the companies are run – that it’s very important to be non-union in the United States”, he said.

“Listen, the plans that Ford is making with regard to product placement and product development – that is made well in advance of contract negotiations”.