Tag Archive for: Region 8

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Volkswagen Workers Make History, Ratify First Union Contract at Major Southern Auto Plant

In a historic victory, Volkswagen workers have voted by 96 percent to ratify their first union contract. The deal locks in 20 percent wage increases, healthcare cost reductions, job security guarantees, an enforceable grievance procedure, and much more. The ratification vote caps a years-long campaign by Volkswagen Chattanooga autoworkers to join the UAW and win a better life with a union contract.

Members of the press are invited to use b-roll and photos from ratification.

“Volkswagen workers have moved yet another mountain,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “From having the courage to stand up and form their union, to having the backbone to authorize a strike and hold out for a contract that honors their worth, VW workers are leading the way for the entire labor movement and non-union autoworkers everywhere. Welcome to the UAW family.”

The over 3,000 Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga voted overwhelmingly to join the UAW in April of 2024. In October of 2025, after more than a year of negotiations, workers voted to authorize a strike in order to win a fair contract. In early February, they reached a tentative agreement with the company, which has now been ratified.

“This victory shows what happens when workers stand up and refuse to be ignored. We didn’t just win better wages and raise standards at our plant — we forced respect onto the table and got it all in writing,” said Yogi Peoples, a Bargaining Committee member from Assembly. “Our victory here at Volkswagen should send a message to autoworkers everywhere: don’t let management divide you. When workers fight together – united and unafraid — we can beat the odds and win!”

“Southern autoworkers are standing up, and I expect many more to follow Volkswagen’s lead,” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “Workers are done being left behind, and VW is just the first step towards justice for autoworkers everywhere. Who are we? U-A-W!”

Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga voted 3-to-1 to join the UAW in 2024, with support from the Volkswagen Works Council and IG Metall. Soon after the victory, workers elected a 20-member negotiating committee made up of their peers. After months of negotiations, the contract marks a breakthrough for nonunion autoworkers and manufacturing workers across the South. The agreement ensures that Volkswagen workers have a legally binding, enforceable contract guaranteeing fair pay, more affordable healthcare, safer working conditions, and clear protections against favoritism.

The details of the agreement are available at UAW.org/VW.

 

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After Enduring Months of Union-Busting Tactics to Undermine NLRB Vote, BlueOval SK Workers Deliver Petition Demanding Ford Recognize UAW and Negotiate Future of Glendale

On Wednesday, workers at BlueOval SK delivered a petition with over 1,000 signatures to the company’s corporate offices in Elizabethtown, demanding that Ford Motor Company recognize the union – and meet with the workers to negotiate over the future of the site.

In August, workers voted in favor of unionizing the joint venture in Kentucky. The company spent months fighting to undermine the results of the NLRB election until December – just before Christmas – when they informed over 1,600 workers that their jobs would be terminated on February 14. Meanwhile, the NLRB ruled against the company’s challenges to the vote, determining that the union at BlueOval SK be certified and recognized by the company.

“It’s time for Ford to do the right thing by BlueOval SK workers, recognize the union, and sit down to negotiate the future of Glendale,” said the UAW’s Ford Department Vice President Laura Dickerson. “As a legacy UAW company for over eighty years, this is a disappointing choice from Ford. Our union is going to stand up and fight for the more than 1,600 livelihoods this company is upending without any second thought.”

“We voted for a union at BlueOval SK because we wanted to have a voice,” said Brittany Diprisco, a Quality Operator in Cell Assembly at the plant. “That fight hasn’t changed. This is still about coming together with our coworkers to have a say in our future.”

“Despite this company fighting hard to undermine the results of the workers’ union election, when it was all said and done, the Board ruled in our favor,” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “These workers are UAW members – end of story. It’s time for Ford to meet with us to negotiate the future of this plant in Glendale. Who are we? U-A-W!”

With over $250 million in state subsidies alone, workers and community supporters are calling on Ford to live up to the promise of good, stable jobs made when Kentucky agreed to give them taxpayer money to build the Glendale facility.

Photos and videos from today’s petition delivery are available for use by the media here.

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UAW Members Take Working Class Agenda to Capitol Hill on Day 3 of 2026 National CAP Conference

UAW Vice President Rich Boyer and Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell with region members lobbying on Capitol Hill on Day 3 of the 2026 National CAP Conference in Washington, D.C., on February 10, 2026.

UAW members took the union’s working-class agenda to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, lobbying political leaders to support legislation advancing the union’s four core issues.

Delegates from each of the UAW’s nine regions met with their respective elected representatives to share their personal stories and to push for pro-worker policies, including affordable healthcare, protecting and expanding worker rights to freely organize, shorter work weeks and improved paid leave, and real retirement security for every American.

On Tuesday evening, UAW Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock welcomed attendees to the Congressional & Movement Allies Reception, reminding UAW members that it’s on all of us to fight for a better tomorrow.

“If there’s one thing that’s been made absolutely clear over the last forty years, it’s that billionaires and corporations will never use their influence and power over our government to make life better for everyday Americans,” Mock told attendees. “Only WE can do that. It is our time to lead and to stand up to the oppressive forces we are seeing today… to give people inspiration, hope, and the belief that, if we stand together and fight, we can ensure our country works for working people.”

The final day of the 2026 National CAP Conference will convene at 9 am tomorrow and will feature U.S. Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock (GA), a Michigan Senate Forum at 10 am, followed by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (VT). All three events will be livestreamed on UAW YouTube, X, and Facebook.

Recap of Day One of the National CAP Conference
Recap of Day Two of the National CAP Conference

For more information on this year’s event, visit UAW.org/CAP2026.

 

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UAW Convenes for Day 1 of 2026 National CAP Conference in Washington, D.C

The UAW kicked off its biannual Community Action Program (CAP) Conference in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, bringing together nearly 1,000 union members from across the country to strategize and build power for the working class. This year’s conference agenda focuses on the UAW’s political vision and four core priorities: wages, health care, retirement, and time off.

UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith opened proceedings by welcoming delegates to the region and introducing the International Executive Board. In his typical fashion, Director Smith fired up the crowd with his passion and energy: “Workers everywhere are waking up and realizing they need a union, but not just any union. They want the UAW, the mighty UAW!”

Newly elected Region 9 Director Jimmy Lakeman recalled iconic UAW President Walter Reuther’s belief that “there’s a direct relationship between the ballot box and the bread box, and what the union fights for and wins at the bargaining table can be taken away in the legislative halls.”

“Elections matter,” Lakeman told delegates. “And the people we elect and what they fight for matter.”

Guest speakers for the day included Independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Nebraska, Dan Osborn, and AFGE President Everett Kelley.

Osborn, recently endorsed by the UAW, emphasized the need for the working class to reject division and instead to unite around its shared interests to take on the billionaire class and a broken economic system: “We need to stop looking left and right and start looking up,” Osborn said.

AFGE President Everett Kelley delivered an impassioned speech, calling out the Trump administration’s attacks on worker rights and urging UAW members to get involved in the political process: “We’re gonna mobilize and organize, not as spectators, not as commentators, but as participators! We’re gonna make it clear that attacks on labor come at a political cost!”

The conclusion of Day One proceedings was followed by dinner and a Super Bowl LX watch party where members cheered on (or rooted against) the Seahawks and Patriots.

Day Two of the 2026 National CAP Conference will convene at 9 am tomorrow.

For more information on this year’s event, visit UAW.org/CAP2026.

 

 

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UAW Reaches Tentative Agreement with Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Marking Historic Breakthrough for Southern Autoworkers

Autoworkers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant have won a historic tentative agreement with the company. After making history as the first Southern autoworkers outside the Big Three to join the UAW, the 3,200 workers at Volkswagen Chattanooga have won a tentative contract deal that provides 20 percent across-the-board wage increases, affordable health care, real job security, and more.

After workers voted 3-to-1 to join the UAW in 2024, they elected a 20-member negotiating committee of their peers. After months of negotiations, the tentative deal marks a breakthrough for non-union autoworkers and manufacturing workers across the South. The tentative deal ensures that Volkswagen workers have a legally binding and enforceable agreement that guarantees fair pay, more affordable health care, safer working conditions, and clear protections against favoritism.

“For years, Chattanooga workers were told to settle for less while Volkswagen made record profits. So, the workers stood together and won their union—and now they’ve secured a life-changing first agreement,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “This deal proves what happens when autoworkers stand up and demand their fair share. People said Southern autoworkers could never form a union or win a union contract. Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga said, ‘Watch this.’”

For workers like bargaining committee co-chair Steve Cochran, a skilled trades worker and co-chair of the Bargaining Committee, the agreement represents a turning point. “A strong contract makes sure promises are delivered. Respect and security shouldn’t be up for negotiation—and now they won’t be.”

The tentative agreement is especially significant given Volkswagen’s recent record-breaking profits. In 2024 alone, the world’s second-largest automaker reported $20.6 billion in profits—even as Chattanooga workers struggled under substandard health coverage and rising out-of-pocket costs.

Key Wins in the Tentative Agreement

  • Major Wage Increases – 20% GWI
    Substantial raises that begin to close the gap with industry standards and reflect Volkswagen’s record profits.
  • Improved High-Quality Health Care with No Increases
    Lower out-of-pocket costs, improved coverage, and protections that ensure no worker must choose between medical care and basic needs.
  • Big Bonuses Initial bonuses equaling $6,550 per worker upon ratification and additional annual bonuses of $2,550 for the life of the agreement. Thousands of dollars of additional compensation for each worker.
  • Job Security Protections
    Strong language against unilateral job cuts, shift reductions, and outsourcing—making sure VW keeps good union jobs in Chattanooga.
  • Stronger Health & Safety Standards
    Enforceable safety rules, dedicated union safety representatives, and a greater worker voice in identifying and fixing hazards on the job.
  • Paid Time Off & Scheduling Protections
    Guaranteed paid leave, fair scheduling requirements, and safeguards against forced overtime and favoritism.
  • Fair Discipline & Grievance Rights
    Clear, enforceable protections against unfair discipline and a transparent, worker-centered grievance process.
  • A Real Voice on the Job
    Rights that ensure workers have a say in day-to-day decisions that shape their work, their safety, and their future.

This historic agreement reflects significant improvements over the company’s last proposal in October, including:

  • New product commitments
  • Enhanced right-to-strike protections
  • Key newly won Job Security agreements, including protections against outsourcing
  • Thousands of additional dollars of annual compensation per worker
  • Key Skilled Trades issues addressed
  • Stronger safeguards against plant closures or the sale of operations

Workers will receive details of the tentative agreement in the coming days, followed by a ratification vote.

“This contract is proof that if you stand up and stick together, you can win a better life,” said Kelcey Smith, a worker in the paint department. “No matter where you live, or where you work, autoworkers deserve a union contract, whether at the Big Three or Volkswagen, from Detroit to Chattanooga. Volkswagen workers are showing the whole country what’s possible.”

The Chattanooga victory signals a profound shift in the Southern auto industry, as workers across the region stand up to global corporations, demand their fair share, and build a future where autoworkers—no matter where they live or what company they work for—have a collective voice and a seat at the table.

UAW Region 8, Local 128 Files an Unfair Labor Practice Against the Officers of AFPA

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (AFPA) provides clerical and administrative support for the officers and members of AFPA filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) against the officers of AFPA for bargaining in bad faith. During negotiations prior to a labor dispute that lasted from October 16th through 18th of 2024. The company stated that the members’ health insurance cost share would remain unchanged. In November of 2024 the chairperson was notified that the cost share would be doubled effective January of 2025.

Effects-Bargaining was requested and held once with the company refusing to return to the table. The ULP was filed on April 24, 2025. Then settled on October 1, 2025, with the company reverting back to original health insurance cost share and the members being reimbursed.

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UAW Region 8, Local 128 – Association of Professional Flight Attendants on Strike posing for a photo on the lawn under a tree
UAW Region 8, Local 128 – Association of Professional Flight Attendants on Strike group photo
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Supermajority of Volkswagen Workers in Chattanooga Vote to Authorize Strike for Job Security and a Fair Contract

Chattanooga, TN – Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga have voted to authorize a strike against the German automaker after over a year of contract negotiations have failed to produce a fair contract offer. It is a historic first, as the first strike authorization vote at a non-Big Three automaker in the modern era.

The move comes after months of unfair labor practices committed by the company, including bad faith negotiations, unlawful intimidation, and the unilateral cutting of jobs at Volkswagen’s only U.S. assembly plant.

Volkswagen made $20.6 billion in profits in 2024, and generates a full 20 percent of its profits in North America. The company can afford to provide a union contract that honors the hardworking autoworkers of Chattanooga.

Volkswagen’s most recent proposal does not include the job security language needed to protect workers from plant closures, outsourcing, or the sale of the Chattanooga facility. These protections cost the company nothing—but mean everything to workers and their families.

A strike authorization gives the elected UAW bargaining committee the authority to call a strike if need be. No strike date has been set, and the UAW bargaining committee has continued to request further negotiations with Volkswagen management, who has refused to meet.

“I don’t want to strike, but if it comes to it, I will,” said Volkswagen worker Mitchell Harris. “Because I feel that all my brothers and sisters of UAW Local 42 deserve respect, to provide a better life for their families, and have job security for us and generations to come.”

“I’m voting yes to get Volkswagen to come back to the table. The majority of the people I know don’t want VW’s ‘final offer.’ They want to keep negotiating, and we are willing to do what it takes to make that happen,” said Taylor Fugate. “We need affordable healthcare and a strong job security statement that leaves no gray area. We also deserve equal standards – Southern autoworkers shouldn’t be treated differently!”

“I’m voting yes because this is the time to show Volkswagen we are serious about receiving industry-standard treatment. Job security’s essential. They could pay us $100 an hour, but it means nothing if they close the plant two weeks into the agreement,” said James Robinson. “I’m hoping this process shows the company we are serious about getting a fair contract. We will show them their offer wasn’t enough, show them we’re willing to stand up to get what we deserve.”

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Volkswagen Workers in Chattanooga to Vote on Strike Authorization

Chattanooga, TN – After more than 13 months of negotiations, Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee have announced a strike authorization vote to take place on Tuesday, October 28 and Wednesday, October 29.

The move comes after months of unfair labor practices committed by the company, including bad faith negotiations, unlawful intimidation, and the unilateral cutting of jobs at Volkswagen’s only US assembly plant.

Volkswagen made $20.6 billion in profits in 2024, and generates a full 20 percent of its profits in North America. The company can afford to provide a union contract that honors the hardworking autoworkers of Chattanooga.

“I don’t want to strike, but if it comes to it, I will,” said Volkswagen worker Mitchell Harris. “Because I feel that all my brothers and sisters of UAW Local 42 deserve respect, to provide a better life for their families, and have job security for us and generations to come.”

“I’m voting yes to get Volkswagen to come back to the table. The majority of the people I know don’t want VW’s ‘final offer.’ They want to keep negotiating, and we are willing to do what it takes to make that happen,” said Taylor Fugate. “We need affordable healthcare and a strong job security statement that leaves no gray area. We also deserve equal standards – Southern autoworkers shouldn’t be treated differently!”

“I’m voting yes because this is the time to show Volkswagen we are serious about receiving industry-standard treatment. Job security’s essential. They could pay us $100 an hour, but it means nothing if they close the plant two weeks into the agreement,” said James Robinson. “I’m hoping this process shows the company we are serious about getting a fair contract. We will show them their offer wasn’t enough, show them we’re willing to stand up to get what we deserve.”

The UAW has been clear that the company’s offer still falls short in four key areas:

1) Job Security: Volkswagen’s proposal does not include the language needed to protect workers from plant closures, outsourcing, or the sale of the Chattanooga facility. These protections cost the company nothing—but mean everything to workers and their families.

2) Affordable Healthcare: Volkswagen’s proposal falls far short of the affordable, high-quality healthcare that’s standard for 150,000 UAW autoworkers across the country. Workers deserve equal treatment, not higher costs.

3) Wages That Keep Up With the Cost of Living: Volkswagen can solve this today by simply signing off on the proposal they already offered — so workers’ paychecks don’t lose value as costs rise.

4) Respect and Dignity on the Job: Volkswagen workers are fighting for a union contract that ensures members can use their earned PTO, are protected from punitive drug testing, and have adequate breaks to recover from the physical demands of the job.

The UAW sent a counterproposal to the company on October 15 addressing 14 remaining critical items centered on these four pillars: job security, fair wages, affordable healthcare, and respect and dignity on the job.

If Volkswagen accepts the counteroffer, the union will recommend ratification. If not, members will prepare for a strike authorization vote and further action as needed.

A strike authorization gives the elected UAW bargaining committee the authority to call a strike if need be. No strike date has been set, and the UAW bargaining committee has continued to request further negotiations with Volkswagen management, who has refused to meet.

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UAW Statement on Union Election at BlueOval SK

“Tonight, BlueOval SK workers won a majority of votes in an NLRB election to unionize their plant in Glendale, Kentucky, securing a hard-fought victory. This is a major step forward for workers who stood up against intense company opposition and chose to join the UAW.

“There are 41 challenge ballots still outstanding. We believe they are illegitimate and represent nothing more than an employer tactic to flood the unit and undermine the outcome. We will fight these challenges to defend the democratic choices of these workers, as we always do when corporations try to interfere with workers’ democratic choice. The challenged ballots are not part of the group of workers who built their union from the bottom up. They deserve to have their own union, in an appropriate bargaining unit with a representative of their own choosing.

“The UAW is calling on Ford to acknowledge the democratic decision of its workforce. They should immediately drop their anti-democratic effort to undermine the outcome of the election and recognize a majority of BlueOval SK’s production and maintenance employees have chosen to join the UAW and ensure battery jobs in Kentucky are good, safe, union jobs.”

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In New Video, BlueOval SK Workers Link Union Drive to Ford Workers’ 20th-Century Fight for Safety

GLENDALE, KY—Today, the UAW released a powerful new video featuring BlueOval SK workers calling for a union to win a real voice on the job, especially when it comes to their health and safety. The video ties the effort by workers at Ford Motor Company who pushed for safer factories nearly a century ago to the high stakes fight today as workers at its joint venture battery plant in Kentucky gear up for an NLRB election in a few weeks.

The new video, “BlueOval SK Union Drive Echoes Workers’ Historic Safety Fight at Ford” is available for use by the media here.

After months of an aggressive union-busting campaign driven by the company, production and maintenance workers at BlueOval SK, Ford’s joint venture battery plant in Glendale, Kentucky, will finally have their chance to vote in a union election on August 26 and 27. The vote will be conducted by the NLRB, with ballots counted starting at 8 p.m. on August 27.

In the video, BOSK workers connect their fight for basic protections today to the UAW’s historic fight at Ford to make auto plants safer in the 20th century. “It’s our time to sit across the table from management as equals,” narrates several BOSK workers in the new video. “We want a legally binding contract that guarantees our wages, health care, PTO policies, and health and safety.

“Workers in Michigan began a wave that changed America,” the video’s narration continues. “Battery workers in Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana have already taken this step and won. Now, it’s our turn.”

Currently, BlueOval SK is the only battery plant involving the Big Three that is non-union. GM’s Ultium plants in Ohio and Tennessee already operate under a UAW contract, and Stellantis’ StarPlus Energy plant in Indiana joined the union and ratified their local agreement earlier this year.

“A supermajority of BOSK workers filed for this election back in January because they were done with broken promises and unsafe working conditions. They were done being left out of decisions that impact their health and their futures,” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “Just like Ford workers in the 30s and 40s, these workers are seeking safer working conditions, the affordable health care they were originally assured, and a voice on the job. They’re ready to get it.”

Kentucky taxpayers have poured millions of public dollars into this plant, and workers have expressed they should have a fair shot at choosing their union. Every elected official in Kentucky who claims to stand on the side of the working-class should look at BOSK right now to see what courage looks like.

Despite illegally firing and retaliating against union supporters and holding unlawful closed-door meetings to intimidate workers, the company has not stopped BOSK workers from moving forward. Workers remain determined to vote for a union and have a voice on the job.

Full transcript of the newly released UAW video featuring BlueOval SK workers ahead of their union election this month: 

[Narrated by several different workers from BlueOvalSK in Glendale]

In 1941, Ford auto workers changed history.

Facing workplace injuries, exhaustion, and deaths on the job, Ford workers took a stand that would echo generations. 

They came together and organized and—as United Auto Workers—won the right to negotiate for all of their working conditions. 

This history is not just a source of pride; it’s a lesson in solidarity to show what’s possible when working class people stand together. 

Today, Kentucky is the center of the battery belt. We’re building the future of the auto industry, and this transformative moment requires the same worker power that guarantees our safety and job security.

Whether in Dearborn, Michigan or Glendale, Kentucky, the technology may differ, but the risks remain the same. 

Wherever corporate greed puts our lives at risk, the fight for a safe workplace binds us together. 

 It’s our time to sit across the table for management as equals. 

We want a legally binding contract that guarantees our wages, health care, PTO policies, and health and safety. 

Workers in Michigan began a wave that changed America. 

Battery workers in Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana have already taken this step and won. 

Now it’s our turn. 

I’m ready to have a voice at BOSK. 

I’m ready to have a voice at BOSK—as United Auto Workers.

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