UAW says recognition near at Tennessee VW plant; opponents disagree

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The United Auto Workers union is hailing a new Volkswagen policy as a vehicle to soon gain representation of workers at its first foreign auto plant in the South.<br /> <br /> Not so fast, says a group of workers who orchestrated a narrow defeat of the UAW in a union vote at Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant earlier this year.<br /> <br /> The details of the new policy have yet to be released, but both the UAW and the rival American Council of Employees expect it to outline the company's plans to interact with community and labor groups at the plant.<br /> <br /> The UAW expects the policy change to lead to the union being recognized by the company to bargain on behalf of all workers at the plant, the UAW said in a letter to members of Local 42 in Chattanooga on Monday.<br /> <br /> Volkswagen and the union reached an agreement last spring, according to the letter obtained by The Associated Press. The UAW said it would cooperate with efforts to win production of a new SUV in Chattanooga, and that it would drop its National Labor Relations Board challenge of the February union vote.<br /> <br /> In return, Volkswagen committed to recognizing the UAW, which would give it the authority to bargain on behalf of both members and non-members, according to the letter signed by Mike Cantrell and Steve Cochran, the president and vice president of Local 42.<br /> <br /> Tennessee's right-to-work laws mean no worker can be forced to join a union, though the UAW says more than half of eligible workers have signed up.<br /> <br /> But Sean Moss, the interim president of the independent worker group, says the UAW is exaggerating its strength and that more white and blue collar workers are gravitating toward the American Council of Employees.

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