After a rollercoaster push by the United Auto Workers to unionize the workforce at Volkswagen's plant in Chattanooga, TN ended in defeat in February, the UAW may yet get its way.

In July the labor organizerchartered UAW Local 42 based on volunteer participation of "any interested employees." At the announcement, the UAW said that "Upon Local 42 signing up a meaningful portion of Volkswagen's Chattanooga workforce, we're confident the company will recognize Local 42 by dealing with it as a members' union that represents those employees who join the local."

But this isn't just about the Local members. The UAW wants to get a majority of the plant's 1,500 workers signed up, on the hope that Volkswagen will recognize the Local 42 "as the exclusive bargaining agent for all of them."

VW doesn't have to do this and hasn't offered any indication of its position, but the possibility is there. It is already public that VW's Global Group Works Council supports the efforts to unionize, the head of the council suggesting the South might not get another potential VW plant "If co-determination isn't guaranteed in the first place." The UAW wouldn't say how many employees have signed on to Local 42, only that it's more than 670.

Naturally, the mere chance that a union could still take over in spite of the election loss has riled at least one anti-union voter, and if it looks like they're being dragged into a situation they declined, we imagine the rollercoaster will get going again.

From the Article Publishes on AutoBlog