Pro-, anti-UAW parties vie over support

Volkswagen Chattanooga

Volkswagen's global works council is backing the United Auto Workers' newest effort to organize employees at the carmaker's Chattanooga plant, while UAW opponents have created an online petition to fuel its own unionizing initiative.

Frank Patta, general secretary of Volkswagen's global works council in Germany, said the UAW was best placed to establish the "time-proven practice of co-determination at Volkswagen," Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Also, Germany's IG Metall union and global union umbrella group IndustiALL are siding with the UAW.

But, VW workers opposed to the UAW said that the online petition will offer employees a new way to sign up for the independent union they want to form under the American Council of Employees banner.

Mike Burton, a VW employee, said ACE organizers believe that some employees may be intimidated by signing a petition at the plant site.

"If they do it in the privacy of their own home ... that might encourage more folks to respond," he said. "We're trying every way possible. We haven't given up this fight in any way."

Burton said IG Metall, which represents many VW employees in Europe, passed out a letter to Chattanooga plant workers on Tuesday. He said IG Metall "doesn't have a horse in this race. They've got no business doing that."

In February, the UAW lost a widely watched National Labor Relations Board election at the Chattanooga plant, 712 to 626.

VW has said it wants to set up the works council, a labor board of blue- and white-collar workers that oversees day-to-day issues such as employee training and safety. The German automaker has works councils at nearly all its plants worldwide. Experts say that under U.S. labor law, a works council can't be formed without a union.

Both the UAW and ACE support the works council concept.

Patta, whose brother, Sebastian, is vice president of human resources at the Chattanooga factory, has in the past endorsed the UAW's organizing attempts. He told the UAW convention in Detroit this summer that February's vote on the UAW at the plant had been "stolen" by outside political forces.

In July, the UAW set up Local 42, a non-dues-paying unit that the Detroit-based union set up with hopes of gaining enough members that VW will recognize it.

Gary Casteel, the UAW's secretary-treasurer, said it has been in "steady and regular conversation" with VW.

"We continue to work on the consensus with them on how we're going to proceed," he said.

However, Burton said he doesn't think the UAW has as much support inside VW as it purports. He said a new Facebook page featured the UAW and VW logos. But, the VW logo was later taken down, Burton said.

"They have no agreement with VW," he said.

ACE is trying to get about a third of the signatures of the rank and file workers at the plant and seek a new election. The UAW says it has more than 700 members in the local.

Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.