Tag Archive for: Tim Smith

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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 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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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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UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith Statement on Texas Redistricting Power Play

The following statement was issued by UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith:

Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans want to use this “Special Session” to rig the rules, pick their voters, and protect the billionaires they serve. What they aren’t doing is working on flood infrastructure and warning systems that could save Texans’ lives. They aren’t working on improving worker protections and laws that will help Texans have a stronger retirement and better healthcare.

They want to redraw Texas’ voting maps behind closed doors so they can choose their voters instead of the other way around. Their endgame is clear. They want to pass even bigger tax breaks for the wealthy by slashing vital services like Medicaid and Medicare. Enough is enough. Stop feeding the corporate greed machine and start looking out for Texas workers and their families.

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BOSK Workers Call on NLRB to Step In: “We Deserve a Fair Shot at a Union Vote”

GLENDALE, KY – The UAW is calling on the National Labor Relations Board to investigate Ford and BlueOval SK (BOSK) for violating federal labor law before it sets the date for an election to ensure a fair and democratic vote — one free from illegal employer intimidation, retaliation, and coercion.

A supermajority of workers at BOSK — the electric vehicle battery joint venture between Ford and SK On — filed for a union election with the UAW in January, demanding safer working conditions, the affordable health care they were originally promised, and a voice on the job. But since then, BOSK and Ford have launched a scorched-earth anti-union campaign designed to scare workers and chill support.

Instead of respecting the legal process or workers’ right to choose, BOSK has illegally fired and retaliated against vocal union supporters, unlawfully forced workers into closed-door meetings, and threatened to shut down the plant. The company has bought up anti-union ads, distributed anti-union swag, and brought in high-priced consultants to expose workers to non-stop anti-union campaigning.

“Ford knows better. For over 80 years, Ford workers have had a union and a voice. But at BOSK, they’re doing everything they can to stop these workers from having the same thing,” said Laura Dickerson, UAW Vice President and Director of the Ford Department. “You can’t have a fair vote when the company is flooding the plant with fear and propaganda.”

Workers say the company’s actions have poisoned the atmosphere around the election — especially in a workplace already plagued by serious safety concerns. A recent Louisville Courier-Journal investigation revealed that BOSK workers have faced toxic chemical exposure, broken bones, and faulty safety equipment.

“BOSK wants to act like there are no safety issues here. But the chemicals we work with are dangerous.  We want the ability to speak up and make things safer in a contract. That’s what a union is about,” said Rob Collett, a Production Associate.

Other workers described being told to work without proper gear and warned not to talk about forming a union.

“These BOSK workers are brave as hell,” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “They stood up and organized because they want what everyone deserves — a safe job and a voice at work. Battery jobs are growing fast here in Kentucky, but they should be good, safe union jobs — not jobs where workers get hurt and silenced. We need a fair shot to vote without the company trying to rig the outcome. Elected leaders can’t look the other way while this industry grows — they need to have workers’ backs. Who are we? U-A-W!”

Workers and the UAW are calling on the NLRB to hold the company accountable until the Board can begin investigating the company’s actions and restore the conditions for a free and fair vote.

“We are excited to vote yes! We have been waiting for this for a long time. However, we are asking the NLRB to ensure a fair playing field,” said Emily Drueke, Quality Department.

The campaign at BOSK is part of a growing wave of worker organizing in the EV battery industry, including major wins at Ultium Cells in Ohio and Tennessee. Workers across the South are standing up — and demanding what they’ve earned: a union and a voice on the job.

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Autoworkers Score Major Victory in Tennessee as GM Announces $4 Billion Reinvestment in U.S. Plants

Spring Hill, TN – In a historic move signaling a shift in the American auto industry, General Motors announced a $4 billion reinvestment across three U.S. plants—including a major investment in its Spring Hill facility in Tennessee. The move brings thousands of good union jobs back to the South and underscores the rising power of autoworkers in a region long written off by corporate America.

“This is a big deal for Spring Hill,” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “For decades, corporations offshored jobs and left blue-collar communities behind. But now, because of worker organizing and fair-trade policies like auto tariffs, GM is finally putting money back where it belongs—in union plants, with American workers.”

The UAW has long called for an end to the unfair trade practices that allowed automakers to offshore U.S. jobs, slash wages, and shutter dozens of once-thriving plants. More than 2 million vehicles a year have disappeared from American production lines over the last decade, while factories across Mexico and low-wage regions flourished under an exploitative trade system.

“Southern workers have always had the skill, the pride, and the fight—it’s just the companies that needed to end their race to the bottom,” said UAW Local 1853 President John Rutherford. “This investment in Spring Hill will mean more people with access to great wages and benefits and the protections of a union contract.”

Spring Hill is already home to a growing UAW membership, and workers there played a key role in last year’s Stand Up Strike, which won historic gains in wages and job security.

“Spring Hill has always delivered,” said UAW Local 1853 Chairman Jason Spain. “Now we’re getting the chance to use our extra capacity to build even more. The Blazer’s coming to Spring Hill, and we’re fired up to get to work.”

The UAW continues to call for a broader industrial strategy that includes strong trade protections, enforceable labor standards across borders, and an end to Wall Street-driven profit hoarding. The union’s demands include:

  • Tariffs on imported vehicles and parts to prevent job offshoring.
  • A renegotiated USMCA with a North American minimum wage and enforceable labor rights.
  • Reshoring of the parts supply chain and domestic manufacturing investment.
  • A ban on stock buybacks and greater reinvestment in American workers.

The UAW leaders say this investment by GM is a step in the right direction—but there’s much more work to do. To truly end the race to the bottom, we need enforceable protections for workers both in the U.S. and abroad. That means real rights on the job, the freedom to assemble and organize, and strong unions across borders. Trade policy without labor rights is just corporate welfare—and we won’t settle for that.

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UAW Members Strike at Lockheed Martin, as Company Announces $1.7 Billion in First Quarter Profits

Detroit, MI – After months of negotiations, over 900 UAW members in Orlando, FL (Local 788) and Denver, CO (Local 766) have walked out on strike at Lockheed Martin, after the company committed multiple unfair labor practices and refused to present a fair economic proposal that meets the membership’s needs.

The strike begins during a time of record taxpayer-funded profits for the U.S. government’s largest defense contractor. Lockheed Martin made $24 billion in profit and paid its CEO $66 million over the last three years. Profits were up the first quarter of 2025, with Lockheed taking in another $1.7 billion. These mind-boggling profits aren’t going anywhere: the Trump administration is positioned to deliver a more than $1 trillion defense budget in 2025.

While Lockheed rakes in billions in taxpayer dollars, they are refusing to deal adequately with the union’s main demands. Under their latest offer, workers at Lockheed would work between 16 and 23 years to reach top rate for most pay classifications. Over 80% of the UAW workforce would remain in an unfair, extremely long pay progression. Even worse, the company is proposing a measly starting rate of $15 per hour. Lockheed is also refusing to recognize Veterans Day as a holiday, an insult to all UAW members who have proudly served this country.

“Lockheed’s workers have to wait years and even decades before seeing a comfortable standard of living, while its executives are swimming in taxpayer dollars,” said UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell. “Lockheed is a textbook example of corporate greed and I’m proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our members as they fight for their fair share.”

“UAW members at Lockheed Martin voted 99.3% in favor of authorizing a strike” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “We are standing together in solidarity and we will have each other’s backs until we get a fair contract. Who are we? UAW!”

The striking Lockheed Martin workers are not the only UAW members in the defense sector standing up to billionaire class greed. Thousands of UAW marine drafters in Groton, CT are fighting for a fair contract, while General Dynamics, like Lockheed, makes billions from government contracts.

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In Another Win for Southern Workers, UAW Members at Ultium in Tennessee Ratify Local Agreement

Spring Hill, TN — Nearly 1,000 UAW members at Local 1853 overwhelmingly voted to ratify their first local agreement with Ultium, a joint venture of General Motors and LG Energy Solution. The local agreement builds on the successes of the national contract that Ultium workers joined as a major win of the 2023 Stand Up Strike.

A majority of workers Ultium Spring Hill signed cards last September and immediately launched their contract campaign, building on the agreement that is rapidly becoming the cornerstone for battery plants across the nation.

“When we voted to join UAW, I knew it would be a big deal. Now, I don’t have to worry about losing my job out of nowhere or going broke from a medical emergency,” said Derrick Kinzer at Spring Hill and bargaining team member. “We do the hard, dangerous work of building EV batteries, and now we’ve got a union contract that guarantees our future.”

“Building EV batteries is just as risky as working with combustion engines, and these workers deserve the best wages, health care and safety protections as they have in the Big Three,” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “Ultium workers stood strong and won their fight. Now it’s time for Volkswagen—an even bigger, richer company—to quit dragging its feet and do right by its workers in Chattanooga with fair pay and fully paid health insurance.”

“We now have our health care costs covered, just like General Motors workers,” said Barry Hope, a battery worker at Spring Hill and bargaining team member. “I’m just like any other union autoworker—and now my benefits are guaranteed in writing, ensuring financial security for my family and access to necessary care when we need it most.”

Smith added, “Ultium workers are setting the bar for Southern workers and charting a brighter future. From Georgia to Kentucky to Texas, folks in these new EV plants know they deserve fair pay and benefits, just like union workers before them. And you can bet the UAW is going to stand with them to make sure they get their fair share and a collective voice on the job.”

More than 5,000 Tennessee autoworkers have joined the UAW in the last year.

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UAW Members at Woodbridge Corp Walk Out on Strike

LITHONIA, Ga – Early Wednesday morning on October 30, UAW-represented Woodbridge Corp – Atlanta Foam workers of Local 472 walked out on strike.

“Despite numerous meetings and bargaining sessions, management has yet to make a significant offer on three critical issues for workers: wages, benefits, and seniority,” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith.

“It’s clear that the company has no intention of reaching a fair and equitable agreement, leaving workers no choice but to strike.”

Workers at Woodbridge produce seating and dashboard components for Yamaha and Nissan and have been working under an expired contract since September 30.

On August 22, workers voted 98% in favor of authorizing a strike.

“We’re standing together to demand what we’re owed,” said UAW Local 472 President Rachel Johnson. “I’m on strike for better wages, healthcare, and respect for the work I do.”

Following the historic Stand Up strike that led autoworkers at the Big Three to win record raises and benefits, Woodbridge workers are the latest UAW members to Stand Up during contract negotiations. UAW members have secured significant contracts in the past year, including at Cornell University in New York and Daimler Truck in North Carolina.

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