Pocan, Kildee Call on Volkswagen to Negotiate First Contract with UAW
Press Release
Dear Mr. Koch and Mr. Patta,
As elected representatives of Americans from across the country who are deeply concerned about the future of collective bargaining rights as a matter of public policy, we write to express our support for all parties bargaining in good faith and ask that Volkswagen respect the rights of the skilled trades employees at the Volkswagen Chattanooga plant who have elected the United Autoworkers (UAW) to represent them. As a result of the company's appeal, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) reviewed the election results, and it found that the skilled trades employees were qualified to join their own union and had successfully voted to do so. In our opinion and as a matter of public policy, we believe that when labor and management bargain in good faith, the best outcomes are realized for all parties.
We are concerned the company has chosen such a tactic against the workers at your Chattanooga plant given the company's global reputation for supporting and collaborating with its workers. From the beginning, Volkswagen objected to the skilled trades workers' effort to form a union. Even after the workers won their election, the company challenged the results, which were certified a second time by the NLRB. Now that the company lost its appeal with the NLRB, you have stated your intent to pursue a different result in court. In response to the dilatory tactics, the NLRB issued an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Complaint against Volkswagen on April 26, 2016 (10-CA-166500 and 10-CA-169340), charging the company with violating American law by failing to collectively bargain with the UAW on behalf of the skilled trades workers.
Given the serious nature of the issues involved in this matter and the potential impact they could have on relations between Germany and the United States, we ask that you respond to each of the concerns raised throughout this note. As practitioners of public policy, it's critical for us to understand the circumstances that might lead some workers' voices not to be heard.
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