UAW Launches New Effort to Organize VW’s Chattanooga Plant

The United Auto Workers union is launching a new attempt to represent hourly workers at Volkswagen AG’s assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tenn.

In a filing with the National Labor Relations Board, the union says it hopes to hold an election at the facility before the end of April, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports.

The UAW seeks recognition as labor representative for the factory’s 1,700 full- and regular part-time production and maintenance employees, including skilled trades.

The union lost a similar vote in 2014, garnering 47% of more than 1,300 ballots cast. The bitterly contested fight pitted the union against a right-to-work group and opposition by the state’s governor and one of its U.S. senators.

A year later, the UAW prevailed in a vote among skilled trades workers by a 104-48 margin. VW has protested the NLRB’s order to recognize the union and begin negotiations.

The company also suggested that the UAW conduct a new all-worker election to resolve the issue. The Chattanooga plant is VW’s only nonunion factory.