Last year, when workers at the Chattanooga Volkswagen plant voted on whether to allow the United Auto Workers to represent them, Volkswagen was accused of being too friendly with the UAW. The UAW lost, and a new election could happen this year. But this time, VW opposes it. In this segment, we find out why, and speak with UAW Local 42 President Mike Cantrell about what's at stake in the election and whether it has anything to do with the recent VW diesel-emissions cheating scandal.
At the center of the controversy is one question: if an election happens, who should be allowed to vote in it? The UAW seeks to represent only the plant's maintenance workers, which are about 11% of the plant's blue-collar workforce. But for VW, it's an all-or-none situation--if an election happens, VW says all 1,400 of the plant's blue-collar workers should participate.
The National Labor Relations Board conducted a hearing Tuesday and Wednesday in Chattanooga. The hearing is over, and the NLRB will begin reviewing testimony and working toward a decision, which may happen within the next five days. The election could take place November 12 and 13. But if the union doesn't like what the NLRB decides, the union may call off the election altogether.
POST UPDATED 11/4/15 at 6:08 pm to add more information