Volkswagen employees Angelo Robinson and Darrell Belcher have worked at the company’s Chattanooga manufacturing facility for 15 years.
In a story by Local 3 News, they said they’ve been a part of the plant’s greatest achievements and, more recently, worst setbacks, as a bitter labor dispute divides the work force there.
“When the union came in, they promised employees that we would have a voice, and everybody bought into it. Once we got in, we have no voice,” Robinson said.
“We have to do and say what they want. Just like when the final contract came around, the majority of the plant wanted to vote on the contract, and the (union’s) bargaining committee said, ‘no you’re not allowed to do that,'” Robinson said.
Belcher agrees: “It’s been a struggle.”
Now, Robinson and Belcher are joined by 15 coworkers in filing a petition to decertify the union they say has divided VW team members.
“Everybody used to get along,” the story quotes Robinson as saying. “Now, with the UAW here, it’s like a clash. It’s like they’re putting employees against each other, and the environment is just not good. We don’t need anyone coming from outside and telling us how to run the plant,” he said. “Why do we need them?”
The UAW and Volkswagen are locked in a stalemate over the terms of the contract at the facility. The company has made its “best and final offer,” which includes a 20% raise over four years and a $4,000 signing bonus, but the UAW will not allow VW team members to vote up or down on the agreement.
Under U.S. law, if 30% of workers at the facility sign the decertification, the National Labor Relations Board can conduct an election to determine whether the union is allowed to continue representing VW workers in Chattanooga.
If a majority of workers vote to decertify the union, the UAW will no longer be allowed to represent them.