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UAW will ‘organize a lot more plants in Chattanooga,’ official says

Staff File Photo / United Auto Workers Region 8 Director Tim Smith, left, greets union members before a rally at The Signal on Sept. 15, 2024, to kick off bargaining with Volkswagen. After the union was able to sign up a VW logistics provider, Schnellecke Logistics, he expects other plants in Chattanooga will follow suit.
Staff File Photo / United Auto Workers Region 8 Director Tim Smith, left, greets union members before a rally at The Signal on Sept. 15, 2024, to kick off bargaining with Volkswagen. After the union was able to sign up a VW logistics provider, Schnellecke Logistics, he expects other plants in Chattanooga will follow suit. Staff File Photo / United Auto Workers Region 8 Director Tim Smith, left, greets union members before a rally at The Signal on Sept. 15, 2024, to kick off bargaining with Volkswagen. After the union was able to sign up a VW logistics provider, Schnellecke Logistics, he expects other plants in Chattanooga will follow suit.

By David Floyd 5 min read


Inspired by the successful union push at Volkswagen, local workers at Schnellecke Logistics voted by a 2-to-1 margin last week to join the United Auto Workers, and the union is hopeful other Chattanooga workplaces will soon follow.

“There’s a lot of others down there inspired by that first contract with Volkswagen,” Tim Smith, director of the union’s Region 8, said by phone. “I promise you, there’s a lot more. We get a lot of calls, and we’re going to organize a lot more plants in Chattanooga.”

Region 8 encompasses 17 states, including Tennessee. When VW workers decided overwhelmingly two years ago to join the auto workers, the union’s president, Shawn Fain, told The Guardian that he was confident more wins at auto plants would follow.

(READ MORE: Deadline passes for utility to reach contract agreement with Chattanooga workers)