Volkswagen union vote in Tennessee to test UAW’s power after victories in Detroit

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A Volkswagen automobile assembly plant is seen on March 20, 2024 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Elijah Nouvelage | Getty Images

DETROIT — Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, will vote this week on whether to organize with the United Auto Workers in a key test of the union’s sway.

A victory would give the UAW its first major automaker win outside General Motors, Ford Motor, and Chrysler parent Stellantis. It would also offer a launching point for the union’s unprecedented organizing campaign of 13 automakers in the U.S. following major contract wins in 2023 with the Detroit companies.

A loss would mark the Detroit-based union’s latest organizing failure following decades of unsuccessful drives outside the Big Three, including at the Tennessee VW plant in 2014 and 2019. It also would be a major setback for the UAW and President Shawn Fain, who was elected in 2023 as a reform candidate following a yearslong federal corruption scandal involving former union leaders.

More than 4,000 VW workers are eligible to vote, beginning Wednesday and ending at 8 p.m. EDT on Friday. The organizing vote, which is being overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, will need a simple majority to succeed.

Fain and others see this week’s vote as the union’s best shot at organizing the VW plant following the record contracts and strikes at the Detroit automakers, which launched Fain to international prominence as the face of the union last year.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain during an online broadcast updating union members on negotiations with the Detroit automakers on Oct. 6, 2023.
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The UAW’s record contracts with the three major Detroit automakers is the biggest difference between the current union drive and previous efforts at Volkswagen, said Stephen Silvia, author of “The UAW’s Southern Gamble: Organizing Workers at Foreign-Owned Vehicle Plants.”

“This is by far the best chance for the UAW out of all its drives at Chattanooga,” he said.

Silvia, a professor at American University in Washington, D.C., said the political circumstances, company messaging, and Fain’s leadership all created a more favorable environment for the union than it had during previous organizing drives.

Volkswagen, which has union workers at non-U.S. plants, has said it will let its workers determine whether to organize. The company said it has only acted to clarify information it felt was misleading or incorrect related to issues such as wages and benefits, but it has not publicly opposed union organizing. It also launched a campaign called “Vote for the workplace you want,” encouraging all employees to do so.

“We respect our workers’ right to a democratic process and to determine who should represent their interests,” VW said in a statement. “We fully support an NLRB vote so every team member has a chance to a secret ballot vote on this important decision. Volkswagen is proud of our working environment in Chattanooga that provides some of the best paying jobs in the area.”

An aerial view of the Chattanooga Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee on April 10, 2024. 
Kevin Wurm | The Washington Post | Getty Images

In addition to less political pressure in the right-to-work state, there are also fewer organized efforts against the union than during prior drives. One group called “VW Chatt workers, for VW Chatt workers” in recent weeks started opposing UAW organizing, including a “Still No UAW” website.

A member of the group who asked not to be identified due to repercussions if UAW organizing is successful said he fears the union could cause problems at the plant, including the possibility of layoffs as if workers win more benefits during negotiations.

The assembly employee, who has more than 10 years at the plant, said it’s not guaranteed that the German automaker will agree to the same wages and benefits as GM, Ford and Stellantis.

“The Big Three, they got a decent contract … but we’re not the Big Three,” said the veteran worker. ”They’re bigger companies [in the U.S.] and when contracts come into play with negotiations, it’s not going to be the same.”

He said this UAW organizing drive feels different than the past two because there is less outside political pressure, the union has new leadership and organizing tactics and more new workers are supporting the union at the plant.

VW workers filed for the election in March after a supermajority of them signed union cards, according to the UAW. The VW workers reached a majority in early February — two months after launching their public campaign to join the UAW.

Unlike prior organizing efforts, the union is using a grassroots, or bottom-up, drive led by workers at the plant rather than leaders at the international union. The strategy has helped messaging, Silvia said.

In 2019, VW workers at the Chattanooga plant rejected union representation in an 833-776 vote.

“Right now, we just need a voice in the plant. Right now, we’re subject to the whims of the company,” said Isaac Meadows, an assembly worker who has been at the VW plant for 14 months. “There are a lot of issues that we want to have a say in, and by coming together to form our union, it puts us in a position to bargain all that stuff.”

Meadows said he makes $27 an hour and that his top priorities are pay, benefits and additional time off.

VW production workers at the plant earn between $23.40 per hour and $32.40 per hour, with a four-year ramp up to top wages, according to the company.

UAW signs and water bottles are shown inside the I.B.E.W. building in Chattanooga, Tennessee on April 10, 2024. 
Kevin Wurm | The Washington Post | Getty Images

UAW-negotiated wages this year for the Detroit carmakers range between about $25 an hour and $36 an hour for production workers, including estimated cost-of-living adjustments. By the end of the UAW contracts in 2028, top wages are expected to surpass $42 an hour for production workers.

“The guy building the Ford Explorer, he’s worth about double to Ford as to what we are to Volkswagen,” said Meadows. He added that “everybody was watching” the outcome of the UAW’s talks with the Detroit automakers.

The UAW has used the new wages and other benefits as rallying calls for non-organized auto workers to join the union.

VW is one of 13 non-union automakers in the U.S. that the UAW set its sights on late last year after securing record contracts with the Detroit automakers. The drive covers nearly 150,000 autoworkers across BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Lucid, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Rivian, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

Factory workers at Mercedes Benz’s assembly plant in Alabama earlier this month filed NLRB paperwork for a formal election to join the UAW.

“The first thing you need to do to win is to believe that you can win,” Fain told Mercedes-Benz workers last month. “That this job can be better. That your life can be better. And that those things are worth fighting for. That is why we stand up. That’s why you’re here today. Because deep down, you believe it’s possible.”

Fain previously vowed to move beyond the Big Three and expand to the “Big Five or Big Six” by the time its 4½-year contracts with the Detroit automakers expire.

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23 Comments

  1. Using both arms to move the identical implement is extra stable and allows you
    to push the big weight. Ideally, use the barbell for exercises such as the push press and overhead barbell
    press. One of the reasons guys don’t prepare shoulders, especially the overhead press, is it tends to be a pretty weak motion sample and muscle
    group for most lifters. In the average lifter, the anterior deltoid is normally essentially the
    most developed of the three heads. This is as a
    result of of it being educated heavily during urgent actions,
    just like the chest press. Even if you don’t have an exclusive shoulder day, work your
    shoulders first on your upper body exercise or pressing day.

    The journey to resuming powerlifting after shoulder alternative surgery is a complex but rewarding.

    This information has supplied a complete overview of the steps necessary to make sure
    a secure and efficient return to lifting weights.

    Monitoring pain ranges throughout exercises helps establish potential issues.

    If discomfort or sharp pain happens, scale back the intensity and seek the assistance
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    There are only a few shoulder points that are not improved by increasing well being
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    When an individual is recovering from a deltoid damage, light stretching can help to reduce ache.

    First, rotator cuff muscle tissue allow us to maneuver our arms in a circular movement, while also
    maintaining our shoulder joints steady. Strengthening your rotator cuff muscular tissues via particular exercises helps stabilize your shoulder joints and facilitates smoother round arm movements.
    Second, trapezius muscles assist our shoulders and neck, controlling the pinnacle and shoulder position,
    whereas additionally serving to hold our arms raised.
    These could be labored via isolation work or working towards
    another sport. The more selection put towards weightlifting, the extra the complete body will become extra connected and stronger.
    The most secure methods to prevent this type of injury is thru proper preparation and
    method. Exterior rotation actions can put together the higher
    physique to open up during the contraction. To summarize, so long as the bar
    doesn’t fall beneath chest-level during contraction,
    the pecs and shoulders will stay protected.
    Apart From better mirror time, here are some key advantages of adding the Dumbbell Entrance Raise to your
    workouts. To keep away from shoulder accidents,
    you need to work all of the shoulder muscles and to coach
    them from different planes of motion. This concept of a multiplanar routine will assist put together your shoulder joint for
    all sorts of movement from all kinds of positions.
    When doing the face pull, make certain to purpose for the
    forehead to focus on both the medial and posterior deltoids.
    If you goal in your chin and hold the upper arms degree with the shoulder joint, it’s going to primarily be simply the posterior deltoid.

    On one other notice, it forces you to be in an excellent,
    stacked position along with your rib cage
    aligned pristinely over your pelvis. Be positive
    to additionally create relative anterior core and spinal stiffness, as when you were in a Plank train. To work around these issues
    with the machines designed specifically for shoulder
    press, I created my own using a normal V-squat machine.
    In both position, perform an isometric hold for 2-3 seconds on the high, contracted state.
    This combo is a staple motion of our pain-free programming for a purpose,
    it works! The different facet of this equation is that wholesome
    shoulders are not built from pressing alone.
    Now, let’s get into one of the best shoulder exercises to perform this.
    But with so many shoulder workouts out there, it could be overwhelming to know
    which of them to prioritize. One widespread error (that I’m susceptible to personally) is flaring the elbows too much
    while benching. This unique tool options angled handles that pretty much
    require you to tuck your elbows. Not solely will your shoulders thank you, you may additionally
    quickly uncover that it’s your triceps that are your real weak link, not your pecs.
    There are certain workout routines, or variations, that must be prevented by
    a proportion of the population. That mentioned
    however, I can counsel how I would prepare somebody for attainable
    urgent movements, and heavier loading of the shoulder.
    Your therapist may additionally use different therapies similar to ice,
    warmth, or manual therapy. After a reduction, the affected arm will stay
    in a sling for several weeks to allow the shoulder to recuperate.
    Ice the affected shoulder three or 4 times a day to deal with
    soreness. As Soon As the ache and swelling subside, a
    physical therapist can show you exercises to strengthen the shoulder muscle tissue and rebuild your range of movement.

    The lateral elevate is usually regarded as a side deltoid isolation lift, and there’s some truth to that—it does work our aspect delts.
    Nonetheless, as with all different aspect delt lifts, the lateral
    raise additionally works our upper traps. This might let you better participate
    in your every day actions and have interaction in a bodily remedy program that has been shown to be very efficient in your
    shoulder injury. When the rotator cuff is injured, people generally do not get well the complete
    shoulder perform wanted to correctly take part in an athletic
    activity.
    If one repeats the identical movements without implementing others,
    weaknesses will form. In this case, if somebody works the
    bench press with out warming up the joints, they
    won’t have stronger shoulders. Weightlifters in pursuit of one-rep maximum lifts could already be in unsafe territory because of the unfavorable place of the rotator cuff.
    Supported incline dumbbell rows not only engage the lats but also the rhomboids, traps,
    rear deltoids, and even the biceps.
    However if you’re a complicated lifter utilizing really heavy dumbbells, you wish to begin with a lighter load and gradually
    increase it to arrange your muscle tissue. Contrary to what some imagine, the deltoid isn’t a minor muscle group.
    Its volume exceeds that of muscles just like the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis main, which most
    people immediately consider large.
    Lean ahead until your higher body is barely above parallel to the floor, with
    your upper arms hanging straight down. Standing extra
    upright transfers more of the work to your traps and higher
    back, however leaning forward like this makes for a fantastic mass builder for your whole again. Focusing On shoulder pain requires exercises that primarily
    focus on the rotator cuff muscles, which embody the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis.

    Also, the situation, measurement and the severity
    of your shoulder arthritis. If your shoulder problem
    is found early, you can study ways to scale back ache, change or keep away from sure activities and scale back further cartilage injury.

    They mention they’re strong and durable, with no points lifting heavy objects in their store.
    Bursae are small, fluid-filled sacs that help cushion the tissues around your joints.

    In contrast, the group who only stretched had  larger low back instability and hip
    flexibility (5). Weightlifting is considered one of the
    most injury susceptible sports due to the extreme a nice deal of
    resistance. To assure security and a great high quality follow, it’s
    necessary to have a steady basis. In a patient with neck ache or ache that
    radiates beneath the elbow, a useful maneuver to additional consider the cervical spine is Spurling’s check.
    The affected person’s cervical backbone is positioned in extension and the head rotated
    towards the affected shoulder. Velocity’s maneuver is used to examine the proximal tendon of
    the lengthy head of the biceps.
    The dumbbell w-raise is a must-do for wholesome,
    pain-free shoulders. Strengthening your posterior shoulder with a w-raise will assist improve other huge pull lifts like rows.
    Dumbbell workout routines are top-of-the-line tools to make use of throughout a shoulder exercise for development while
    maintaining them wholesome and pain-free.
    Ongoing bodily remedy and adherence to professional recommendation can help keep shoulder well being and ensure long-term success in powerlifting.
    Competitive weightlifting can lead to eccentric posterior glenoid
    put on and posterior humeral head subluxation, that are frequent challenges post-surgery.
    Addressing posterior glenoid put on is especially important for patients who had been previously energetic weightlifters.
    Interestingly, greater than 70% of sufferers can count on to return to
    sports after total shoulder arthroplasty.
    A better way of gauging progress within the short term is to see if you’re getting somewhat bit stronger from workout to workout, including reps or weight to your lateral
    raises. The upright row works the forearms, upper arms (elbow
    flexors), higher back (traps), and shoulders (side and rear delts).
    The limiting issue is often our side delts or traps, and they also are inclined
    to get the best development stimulus.
    Furthermore, body weight shoulder workout routines engage
    multiple muscle teams. The muscular tissues engaged embrace the deltoids and trapezius which promote
    balanced shoulder development. It’s subsequently attainable to
    achieve spectacular shoulder positive aspects and enjoy a handy exercise at house by specializing in body weight workout routines.
    Cable shoulder exercises are helpful for folks seeking to train their arms and shoulders,
    as they successfully target the trapezius muscular tissues.
    Beginners can safely conduct cable shoulder exercises by starting small and using a cable machine with a straight bar and lower weight.

    Some of the most effective barbell shoulder exercise routines include the overhead press.
    The barbell overhead press is a basic exercise that targets the anterior and
    medial deltoids, selling shoulder flexion and abduction.
    This compound motion is used greatest for effectively building power for efficiency.
    If carried out appropriately, including the dumbbell entrance raise to your shoulder workouts will
    assist improve shoulder muscle symmetry and strength.
    If constructing your pushing power is a objective, entrance raises
    are a great shoulder exercise to help.
    Scapular wall slides are nice for shoulder rehab and regaining shoulder power.
    While you’re on this program, use Bodybuilding.com’s
    macronutrient calculator to make sure you’re eating enough calories, protein, carbs, and fats to assist your aim of muscle features.

    To grow your shoulders, you have to be in a caloric surplus,
    which means that you’re consuming more calories than you burn. Perform Workout 1 for
    4-6 weeks, attempting to extend the burden you employ each workout.

    Your tendons and bones could make a cracking sound even when they’re working together completely.

    They can also carry out special exams to substantiate shoulder impingement syndrome such
    as the Empty Can check or Hawkins Kennedy take a look at.
    You can attempt easy variations of those shoulder impingement tests at home.
    Each of the rotator cuff muscle tendons run by way of the subacromial area and as a end result of the
    arm moves up and down, the rotator cuff tendons slide backwards and forwards by way of this area.
    Brachial neuritis is a rare drawback where the immune
    system attacks the nerve fibres within the brachial plexus
    (a bundle of nerves on the root of the neck). Brachial neuritis is
    notoriously troublesome to diagnose and tends to be one of many much less
    common causes of left shoulder pain. Left shoulder pain from bursitis is usually accompanied
    by other problems similar to impingement syndrome.

    My strategy to working with shoulder accidents may be very unique in that
    I really don’t work around shoulder injuries. The
    rotator cuff could be injured by internal rotation of the higher physique.
    The most typical injuries occur within the shoulders, pectoralis major tendon, and the bicep brachii.
    Family physicians need to know diagnostic and therapy methods for widespread causes of shoulder
    ache. We review key parts of the historical past and bodily examination and describe maneuvers that can be used to
    achieve an acceptable prognosis. Examination of the shoulder should embrace inspection, palpation, evaluation of range of motion and provocative testing.
    In addition, a radical sensorimotor examination of the upper extremity should be
    carried out, and the neck and elbow should be evaluated.

    The IYT raise is a superb train for constructing strength and
    preventing damage by recruiting all the muscle fibers contained in the
    shoulder. This exercise uses three different motion patterns to help trigger the anterior, medial, and posterior deltoids to strengthen them for future efficiency.

    They allow you to pull things toward you,
    that means they assist with almost each pulling train,
    including chin-ups, pull-ups, rows, and
    deadlifts. Shoulder day typically comes after Again Day,
    so they may already be quite sore.
    Thankfully the gloves fit, but they went above and past regardless.
    In conclusion, whereas the highway to recovery may be lengthy and difficult,
    the rewards of regaining your energy and returning to the game you love make all of
    it worthwhile. By following the recommendation and
    recommendations outlined in this guide, you’ll find a
    way to embark on your journey with confidence, figuring out that a successful return to
    powerlifting is inside your attain. Long-term upkeep and health post-surgery are essential for sustaining shoulder operate and
    stopping issues.

    References:

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