Volkswagen has certified a group called the American Council of Employees to represent workers at its Chattanooga, Tennessee plant, setting the stage for the group's continued showdowns with the United Autoworkers union.
The ACE formed at the plant as an alternative to the UAW, which had long sought to form a union at the facility which produces the Passat model.
A UAW-backed union election with heavy political implications narrowly failed in early 2014. Tennessee, like most southern states, is a "right-to-work" state, prohibiting automatic deduction of union dues and the requirement that all employees at a workplace join a union.
The German automaker, however, later established a labor system allowing groups representing as little as 15 percent of workers to raise issues with management. Volkswagen said this week an outside auditor found that the ACE eclipsed that threshold.
Despite their initial opposition to the UAW, ACE President Sean Moss has indicated the group has softened its stance toward the union, which was certified late last year under VW's highest tier of labor representation after gaining the support of at least 45 percent of workers.
That certification had prompted concerns from area lawmakers, along with speculation that a massive incentive package to expand the Chattanooga plant could be in danger as a result. A top Republican in the Tennessee statehouse, however, pledged the state would "keep its promises that that were made to Volkswagen."
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