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Submitted URL: https://www.workersincarstalkingaboutvolkswagen.org/
Effective URL: https://uaw.org/vw/
Submission: On October 20 via api from US — Scanned from DE
Effective URL: https://uaw.org/vw/
Submission: On October 20 via api from US — Scanned from DE
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</form>Text Content
VOLKSWAGEN STAND UP! IT’S TIME FOR A RECORD CONTRACT
* BARGAINING UPDATES
* OUR BARGAINING COMMITTEE
* VOC
* WINNING OUR UNION
* CONTACT US
WE’VE WON OUR UNION. NOW, WE’RE GETTING READY TO WIN A STRONG FIRST CONTRACT
THAT REFLECTS OUR DEMANDS AND RAISES STANDARDS AT OUR PLANT.
OUR PATH TO A FIRST CONTRACT STARTS WITH ELECTING OUR BARGAINING TEAM
Bargaining Updates
Bargaining Committee
FAQ
BARGAINING COMMITTEE
We’ve won 20 paid positions on the UAW bargaining team. We will elect members
from across the plant to represent us in negotiations for a first contract. We
also secured an understanding with VW that the company will cover the wages of
the bargainers and provide full release for bargaining, training, ratification,
internal meetings, etc.
Here is who we have elected to represent us in our negotiations with management.
Billy Quigg
Assembly – 1st Shift
Yogi Peoples
Assembly – 1st Shift
Michael Bromley
Assembly – 2nd Shift
Isaac Meadows
Assembly – 2nd Shift
Lisa Elliot (Ms Lisa)
Assembly – 3rd Shift
Josh Epperson
Assembly – 3rd Shift
Antonio “Tony” Bodewas
Battery – All Shifts
Brook Benoit
Body – 1st Shift
Vicky Holloway
Body – 1st Shift
Angel Gomez
Body – 2nd Shift
John Rout
Body – 2nd Shift
Matthew D Wallace
Body – 3rd Shift
J.R. Hudson
Finish and Repair – All Shifts
Jeremy Bowman
Logistics – All Shifts
Caleb Michalski
Logistics – All Shifts
Jimmy Key
Paint – 1st Shift
Kelcey Smith
Paint – 2nd Shift
Drew Hall
Paint – 3rd Shift
Steve Cochran
Maintenance – All Shifts
Chris Brown
QA – All Shifts
Assembly – 1st Shift – 2 Committee Members Billy Quigg Yogi Peoples Assembly –
2nd Shift – 2 Committee Members Michael Bromley Isaac Meadows Assembly – 3rd
Shift – 2 Committee Members Lisa Elliott (Ms. Lisa) Josh Epperson Battery – All
Shifts – 1 Committee Member Antonius “Tony” Bodewes Body – 1st Shift – 2
Committee Members Brooke Benoit Vicky Holloway Body – 2nd Shift – 2 Committee
Members Angel Gomez John Rout Body – 3rd Shift – 1 Committee Member Matthew D
Wallace Finish and Repair – All Shifts – 1 Committee Member J.R. Hudson
Logistics – All Shifts – 2 Committee Members Jeremy Bowman Caleb Michalski Paint
– 1st Shift – 1 Committee Member Jimmy Key Paint – 2nd Shift – 1 Committee
Member Kelcey Smith Paint – 3rd Shift – 1 Committee Member Drew Hall Maintenance
– All Shifts – 1 Committee Member Steve Cochran QA – All Shifts – 1 Committee
Member Chris Brown
BARGAINING TEAM FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
Where can I go get more information or ask another question?
uaw.org/vw/ has additional information including a list of everyone who is
running and their candidate statements. You can also email
Local42elections@uaw.net
Want to get involved in winning a great contract?
Fill out this short form and someone will be in touch!
You can also attend one of the regular Volunteer Organizing Committee meetings.
These are normally held on Wednesday’s at 7:00 am, 3:00 pm, and 11:00 pm in the
union hall at 3922 Volunteer Dr, note though that there is no meeting this week,
July 24.
WINNING OUR UNION
On April 19, we won a real voice on the job. United in the UAW, we have
collective power to improve our jobs at Volkswagen and our quality of life in
the Chattanooga area. Here’s how we did it.
WHY WE’RE VOTING UNION YES FOR A VOICE AT VOLKSWAGEN
OUR VOICES AT VOLKSWAGEN
HISTORIC GAINS BY UAW WORKERS AT THE BIG 3
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
Why is this vote so important?
We have a clear and important choice to make in this election. If a majority of
us vote “Yes,” Volkswagen will have a legal obligation to bargain with us over
pay, benefits and working conditions and secure any agreements we reach,
regarding improvements or protecting current benefits, into a legally binding
contract. Voting “no” means you support keeping the current system where
Volkswagen decides if, when, and how to improve anything and can change things
when it is convenient for them as they have done with our PTO and health
insurance costs in recent years.
What is collective bargaining and how does it work?
Collective bargaining is how we negotiate our union contract. It’s a process,
protected by federal law, that equalizes the power relationship between
employees and their employer.
Under collective bargaining, VW workers will elect coworkers to negotiate as
equals with VW management. These negotiations result in a proposed contract
called a tentative agreement. VW workers then vote to democratically approve the
tentative agreement. If approved, it becomes a legally-binding contract that
guarantees the terms and conditions of our employment.
Through collective bargaining, UAW autoworkers have set the standard in our
industry for strong pay, excellent benefits, pay during shutdowns, job security,
protection from unfair treatment, and many other issues on the job.
Without collective bargaining, VW has unilateral power to change our working
conditions. For example, VW currently decides unilaterally whether or not we get
annual raises, what healthcare coverage is available to us, and can mandate when
we use our PTO. Any term and condition of employment is up to VW to decide.
Why are VW workers forming a union now?
We just saw the record raises and historic contracts that 150,000 UAW members
won at Ford, GM and Stellantis. Now autoworkers across the South are standing up
to win our fair share.
Forming a union with collective bargaining rights is the only way to have the
power to negotiate with VW management as equals and reach a legally binding
contract. With collective bargaining, workers at VW set our priorities and our
agenda—and we elect our coworkers as representatives to negotiate on an equal
footing with VW management for improvements such as pay raises, better health
care coverage and more paid time off. Without a union contract, VW has
unilateral power to change all the terms and conditions of our employment.
Are other non-union autoworkers forming unions right now?
Yes. Across the country — and especially in the South — non-union autoworkers
are standing up to form unions. We got the ball rolling at VW. We were the first
plant to have 30% of workers sign union cards, and our drive to 50% inspired
even more workers to stand up. In Alabama, autoworkers at Mercedes and Hyundai
have hit the 30% threshold and are on their way to 50% too. More than 10,000
non-union autoworkers have signed union cards and our numbers keep growing. At
Toyota, Honda, BMW and beyond, workers are following our lead and joining
together in the UAW to win stronger pay, better benefits and a better life.
What is the process for forming our union?
1. VW workers form a diverse organizing committee – also called the Volunteer
Organizing Committee (VOC) – reach out to our coworkers and see what issues
they want to address in our union.
2. A supermajority of all VW workers sign authorization cards indicating we
want to form a union and collectively bargain with VW.
3. VW workers deliver our authorization cards to the National Labor Relations
Board (NLRB), which oversees private sector employee unionization efforts in
the U.S.
4. VW workers vote in a secret ballot election to form a union. When a majority
of us vote to form a union, the NLRB certifies our union!
5. VW workers begin negotiating with VW management so we can win a strong and
legally binding contract.
How will we choose our bargaining team?
After forming our union, VW workers will democratically elect a bargaining team
made up of our coworkers, who will work with experienced UAW staff, to negotiate
a contract with VW management.
Why are we forming our union with the UAW?
UAW members at Ford, GM and Stellantis just won historic contracts that raised
the bar for autoworkers across America. VW and other non-union car companies
suddenly raised our pay because they want to stop us from joining together in
the UAW. They know UAW members have the power to win what they deserve.
Management in Chattanooga will say unions aren’t a Southern thing. But tell that
to UAW members here in Tennessee at GM’s Spring Hill complex. Or to UAW members
at GM’s biggest-in-the-U.S. plant at Arlington, Texas. Or to UAW members at
Ford’s two plants in Louisville, Kentucky. All of those Southern UAW members
just won the strong pay, benefits and rights at work that Volkswagen has been
denying us for years.
Is the UAW a corrupt organization?
Since the UAW’s founding in the Depression, when autoworkers flooded into the
union to win a better life, it has been a force for economic and social justice.
UAW members marched arm in arm with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the
Civil Rights Movement and the UAW fought the “free-trade” policies that
devastated so many of our hometowns in the 1990s. Starting in the 2010s, 17 UAW
leaders betrayed that legacy, were exposed for their crimes and pleaded guilty.
In response, UAW members passed a referendum to ensure the union is truly
democratic. They voted to give every member the right to directly elect the
union’s top officers. In 2023, reformer Shawn Fain was elected president and
under his leadership UAW autoworkers just won their strongest contracts in
decades.
How do UAW members ensure accountability by the union’s leaders?
Every UAW member has the right to vote for the union’s top officers. Once you
become a UAW member, you directly elect the union’s president and executive
board. Each UAW local union must audit its books every 6 months, and is audited
by the International UAW every 3 years, and there is an outside, independent
audit of the International UAW every year.
Every union decision is appealable by members to the Public Review Board, which
is composed of individuals independent of UAW, or to the Convention Appeals
Committee, which is composed of members chosen at random from among the
delegates elected to the previous convention.
Can the union guarantee specific improvements?
VW workers make up our union and will democratically prioritize which
improvements to bargain for in contract talks. With a union, VW workers will
negotiate as equals with VW management for the changes we want to make. We have
far more power to negotiate improvements collectively than we do as individuals.
A contract will legally secure those improvements against unilateral changes by
the company. Currently, VW can change policies and benefits whenever and however
they want. As the VW Team Member Guidebook says, ”Our policies, procedures, and
practices are subject to change at any time, with or without notice.”
With a union, we will vote on our contract. If we don’t like it, we can vote
against it and go back to the negotiating table to work out a better agreement.
What improvements have autoworkers bargained for at other companies?
UAW autoworkers at Ford, GM and Stellantis just bargained for and won the
highest pay, the best benefits, and the strongest protections in our industry –
protections from unsafe working conditions, harassment, favoritism and more.
UAW members at the Big Three don’t pay a dime in premiums or deductibles and
have some of the best health care in the country. They also bargained for
profit-sharing, so they benefit when the company does well. If Volkswagen
workers had the same formula as Ford workers, they would have received a
profit-sharing check of $23,000 last year.
Job security is another area where unionized workers have negotiated
improvements. UAW members won contractually binding investment commitments from
Ford, GM and Stellantis. If they get laid off, they get Supplemental
Unemployment Benefits, also known as “SUB pay.” SUB pay is added to state
unemployment pay and together they average between 85% and 95% of an employee’s
weekly after-tax pay. If UAW members are laid off, they get SUB pay and fully
paid health care coverage for two years.
At Volkswagen, we have to use our Paid Time Off (PTO) if we want to get paid
during shutdowns. Under the Ford contract, the company can only mandate the use
of vacation time for one week of shutdown per year — the rest of the time
workers receive SUB pay.
Will I have to pay union dues?
In the UAW, there are no membership dues until workers have gone through the
bargaining process and vote democratically to approve a first contract. After
that, each individual VW worker can decide whether to pay membership dues or
not. Dues are 2.5 hours of straight-time pay per month. Dues are important
because they provide the resources to build a strong union with real power in
the plant.
What is dues money used for?
Union members democratically decide how union dues are spent.
Do UAW dues go toward presidential candidates?
No. 97 percent of membership dues go to programs that directly build member
power in the plant, at the bargaining table and on the picket line if an
employer won’t bargain a fair contract. 3 percent of membership dues go toward
the UAW Community Action Program (CAP), which supports community and local
political action, including advocacy on issues that matter to UAW members. For
example, the UAW advocates for fair trade policies that protect our jobs and
benefit working people and our families. This dues money cannot be used for
federal campaign contributions, such as a presidential race. Members may choose
to donate additional money to the UAW Voluntary Community Action Program or
“VCAP,” which can be used in federal elections. That additional voluntary
contribution is completely separate from dues.
Will VW workers have to go on strike if we form a union?
Our right to strike is one of our most powerful tools as workers. But VW workers
decide if and when to strike. Under the UAW Constitution, only when 2/3 of
participating workers vote yes in a democratic strike authorization vote can the
union call a strike.
My coworkers said they were worried our boss would fire us or target us for
publicly supporting the union. What do I say?
Federal law protects our right to organize a union. That doesn’t mean bosses
don’t break the law, but it does mean you have protection. In fact, your best
protection is the fact that thousands of autoworkers are currently standing up
to form unions with the UAW across the country at over a dozen companies. While
retaliation would be illegal, our greatest protection is each other. By joining
together and building public support for the union, we make it much harder for
the boss to single any of us out individually. A union is all about strength in
numbers. Plus, unions are nothing new at Volkswagen. VW works successfully with
unionized employees in its plants around the world, and we can do that in
Chattanooga too.
Will we lose benefits, like the lease car program, if we form a union?
Currently, VW can change or eliminate any benefit of employment – such as the
lease program – without our agreement. If we win our union, VW is legally
prohibited from changing or eliminating a benefit without our agreement through
collective bargaining. Before we have a union, it is also unlawful for VW to
threaten to take away a benefit if we choose to unionize. As a union, we can
democratically determine what our bargaining priorities are, and we can then
vote to ratify the contract we collectively bargain.
Will forming a union result in layoffs or plant closure?
VW has spent billions of dollars to expand production in Chattanooga. VW has
unionized workforces around the world and it has partnered effectively with
unionized workers at other plants. UAW members at Stellantis just reopened a
plant during their contract talks. Before bargaining began in 2023, the company
closed an assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois. Stellantis workers fought it in
bargaining and won. Not only did they win a commitment from the company to
reopen the plant, they won a new Stellantis battery plant in Belvidere that will
bring thousands of new UAW jobs to the community. That’s the power workers have
together in the UAW.
Does VW management oppose workers forming a union?
Yes. VW claims to be neutral toward unionization, but VW has a history of
opposing workers forming a union at VW Chattanooga. VW attempted to prevent
workers from voting in a democratic secret-ballot election in 2019 through legal
maneuvering, and successfully delayed the election. VW has employed
Littler-Mendelsohn, a New York law firm whose lawyers “excel in union
avoidance,” according to their website. Despite VW’s opposition, VW workers all
around the world are unionized.
RESOURCES
OUR VOICES AT VOLKSWAGEN
We know what is best for ourselves and our families. With a union and collective
bargaining, we now have a stronger voice to prioritize what matters to us here
at Volkswagen and in Chattanooga. Read why our co-workers voted “Union Yes.”
“I am helping to form our union at VW because I believe we deserve better safety
protocols. I work in the paint department and we have cars that come out of the
ovens scorching hot. Our safety is not a priority in these situations. Also, the
PTO policies are not fair. We can’t use PTO the way we need it. I’ve never
worked at a place that does not allow for excused absence, even with a doctor’s
note.”
Shawn Lawler
Paint Shop
“We deserve better time off without using our vacation days. It is not fair that
we don’t have flexibility in case of unexpected life situations- we get punished
in these situations. That is why I am helping to form my union.”
Cedric Drew
Paint
UAW VOLKSWAGEN VOLUNTEER ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
VW workers from across the plant have joined the UAW Volunteer Organizing
Committee (VOC) to get the word out about our union. Did you Stand Up and sign a
union card? Now step up and help win our union: JOIN THE VOC
MICHAEL ACCETTURO, Assembly
BASHAAR AL-HUSSIENI, Assembly
DE’JUAN ALFORD, Assembly
JOSE AMARO, Logistics
ROBERT ATKINS, Paint
EUGENE BAKKER, Assembly
OLUDARE BAMGBOSE, Assembly
DANIEL BARNETT, Assembly
ELIZABETH BARNETT, Assembly
JOSHUA BEAN, Assembly
BROOKE BENOIT, Body
LETONJA BERRY, Logistics
TIFFANY BLACKSTOCK, Assembly
TRISTAN BODINE, Assembly
MATTHEW BOISEY, Assembly
KRANTZSY BOURSIQUOT, Assembly
NOUREDDINE BOUSSAFEUR, Assembly
JEREMY BOWMAN, Logistics
DUKE BRANDON, Battery
ALVIN BROMFIELD, Assembly
MICHAEL BROMLEY, Assembly
CHARLES BROWN, Assembly
CHRISTOPHER BROWN, QA
STEVEN BURNHAM, QA
JASON CAMPBELL, Assembly
BOBBY CAMPBELL, Body
ROSLYNNE CAMPER, Body
ROBERT CHORTKOFF, Assembly
STEPHEN COCHRAN, Battery
REGINALD COLE, Logistics
CAMERON CONBOY, Assembly
KEEONA MONIQUE CONYERS, Assembly
ZACHARY COSTELLO, Assembly
VAUGHAN CRABTREE, Assembly
ALAN CROCKER, Assembly
ROBERT CRUMP, Assembly
ZACKERY CURVIN, Assembly
STEVEN DE VRIES, Body
AMANDA DENNISON, Assembly
RICKEY DIAL, Assembly
DAVID DODSON, Assembly
JONES DOUGLASS, Assembly
CEDRIC DREW, Paint
TYRRELL DUBOSE, Assembly
CHRISTOPHER DYER, Assembly
NADINE ELEM, Assembly
TRAVIS ELLIOTT, Assembly
LISA ELLIOTT, Assembly
JOSHUA EPPERSON, Assembly
CHRISTIAN ESCUE, Assembly
BENJAMIN FERGUSON, Assembly
ROBERT FINK, Assembly
BRIAN FLETCHER, Paint
DAVID FREISTAT, Paint
JUSTIN FRIAR, Battery
STEVEN FUGATE, Assembly
SAMUEL GALLARDO, Assembly
SAMI GAMU, Assembly
KERRY GANNAWAY, Body
DAVID GOAT GLEESON, Assembly
JUSTIN GODFREY, Assembly
GENARO GONZALEZ SANCHEZ, Assembly
RAVEN GOODWILL, Assembly
ISAAC GRAHAM, Logistics
TRAVIS GRAY, Assembly
PHIL GRAYS, Assembly
ZACHARY GROSS, Assembly
JARED GULLEDGE, Assembly
ANDREW HALL, Paint
MATTHEW HANCOCK, Assembly
SHERMAN HANEY, Body
CHRISTOPHER HANKINS, Paint
CARY HANSON, Assembly
STEVEN HARDEN, Paint
RYAN HINEMAN, Assembly
DAVIAN HISLOP, Assembly
JOHN HOLLAND, Assembly
VICKY HOLLOWAY, Body
JOSEPH HOLMES, Battery
BILLY HOPKINS, Paint
ALISHA HOUSTON, Assembly
JUSTIN HOWELL, Assembly
JAMES HUDSON, Assembly
BRIAN HUGHEN, Assembly
SETH HUGHES, Assembly
JAMES HUGHES, Paint
MATTHEW HUMPHRIES, Logistics
TROY HUNT, Paint
JOHN HUYCK, Assembly
CRYSTAL JENKINS, Logistics
FRANK JENNINGS, Body
JIMMY JOHNSON, QA
DANIEL KACZMAREK, Paint
JAMES KILGORE, Assembly
KENNETH KILGORE, Battery
DAMIEN KOZIK, Paint
PERRY KRUG, Assembly
GAVIN LANGSTON, Paint
NATHANIEL LARSON, Assembly
SHAUN LAWLER, Paint
WENDAL LAWSON, Assembly
WILLIE LAY, Logistics
ZACHARY LIVINGSTON, Assembly
DEVON LOFTIN, Assembly
SHANNON LOGAN, Body
ANTHONY LOMBARDO, Assembly
DIEUNER LOUISDOR, Assembly
IVAN LOWE, Assembly
JOHN LUMBRA, Assembly
JERRIAL MANGHAM, Assembly
MALIQUE MARSHALL, Assembly
PATRICIA MCFARLAND, Assembly
JOSEPH MCMULLAN, QA
MATTHEW MCWAIN, Assembly
ISAAC MEADOWS, Assembly
JOHNNY MEEKS, Paint
JESUS MERCANTETY, Assembly
JARRET MITCHELL, Assembly
EDWARD MOORE, Paint
CLINTON MORGAN, Assembly
CARLTON NESMITH, Assembly
WILLIAM NICHOLS, Assembly
ZACHARY NORTHCUTT, Assembly
WILLIAM O’MALLEY, Assembly
LARRY OLIVE, Assembly
BRAEDEN OLIVER, Logistics
KIMBERLY ONOFREY, QA
JONATHAN OWENS, Assembly
ASHLEY PARKER, Assembly
CHRISTOPHER PARKIN, Assembly
SHEA PARMENTER, Assembly
JEREMY PATTERSON, Assembly
ANDI PENNER, Assembly
YOLANDA PEOPLES, Assembly
CORY PIPER, Assembly
EBONY POWELL, Body
ED PROK, Assembly
QUINCY QUARLES, Assembly
WILLIAM QUIGG, Assembly
JOSHUA RAY, Assembly
KENNETH REAM, Assembly
TIMOTHY REID, Assembly
CRISTOPHER REYES-LAGOS, Assembly
LANDON ROBINSON, Assembly
JAMES ROBINSON II, Body
ANGEL RODRIGUEZ, Body
JERE ROLLINS, Body
JOHN ROUT, Body
WALTER RUSSELL, Paint
NATHANIAL SALDANA, Assembly
ROBERT SANDERS, Assembly
ROGER SCHEIBE, Assembly
KEONNA SHAW, Body
MATTHEW SHOWALTER, Assembly
NOE SIMMONS, Assembly
BRADY SIMS, Assembly
DANIEL SIVLEY, Assembly
PATRICK SLAUGHTER, Assembly
WILLIAM SMITH, Assembly
KELCEY SMITH, Paint
ANTHONY SNELL, Paint
DOUGLAS SNYDER, Body
ROBERT SODERSTROM, Body
KALEB SOWDER, Assembly
WILLIAM SPRINKLE, Paint
ANDREW STANDIFER, Assembly
ORLANDO STRICKLAND, Assembly
CHRISTOPHER SUITS, Assembly
MATTHEW TALFORD, Assembly
ROBERT TATE, Assembly
JOSHUA TREECE, Assembly
JAMES TUCKER, Assembly
VICTOR VAUGHN, Logistics
DAVID VINES, Logistics
AUSTIN WADE, Assembly
STEVEN WESTMORELAND, Paint
ZARIA WHEELER, Assembly
ORION WHEELER, Logistics
SHORHONDA WHITE, Logistics
JONMONTAE WICKLEY, Assembly
JAMUAN WILLIAMS, Assembly
TIFFANY WINDMON, Assembly
BEAU WINESBURGH, Assembly
JOSHUA WOODWARD, Assembly
MATTHEW WREDE, Assembly
WAYNE WRITESEL, Assembly
YOUSIF YOUSIF, Logistics
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