By Troy Washington
Last week, workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TN made history by overwhelmingly voting to join the United Automobile Workers—making the shop the only unionized foreign-owned auto plant in the South.
This victory comes on the heels of the exciting progress at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, Alabama, where a majority of workers signed cards in support of UAW, putting them on the path of unionization.
We’ll say it again: Don’t count out the South.
Jobs to Move America has been working in the South for years to reverse the trend of companies viewing the region as a source of cheap, non-union labor, which upholds the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow. Poverty in the state is high, as well as other markers of poor quality of life, even as companies there are flush with billions in state tax subsidies.
But unionization—as well as community benefits agreements, like the one we signed with New Flyer—gives workers a voice and leverage on the job and tips the scales in favor of regular people. And it’s contagious: if workers in Chattanooga get a great contract, a big raise, better health benefits, and then the same thing at Mercedes, there will be a lot more good opportunities to win good contracts in short order.
And, this continuing momentum—led by Black workers—could travel beyond the auto industry. As Jennifer Epps pointed out in Nonprofit Quarterly, workers of color made up 100 percent of union growth in 2022, with Black workers with the highest rates of unionization nationwide.
We’re seeing unprecedented investments in manufacturing across the country, leading to an electric vehicle boom. But too often, workers aren’t seeing their share of this wealth. It’s time to reverse that by ensuring this burgeoning industry creates good jobs that uplift families and communities.
Next, the work begins to win a good contract, which is the hard part. But workers in the South have done harder things. We know they won’t stop and we won’t either.
JMA spoke to the New York Times about this important victory. Read more here.