On April 20, employees at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant voted to join the United Auto Workers, which the union group said was a landmark victory for the group in the long-hostile southern United States. If this vote is formally certified by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Volkswagen will be required by law to demand collective bargaining on excessive working conditions and compensation at its factories. The United Auto Workers (UAW) union membership has dropped from 1.5 million in the '70s to about 370,000. This was due in large part to the failure to win the support of the factories in the South, where there were fewer unions and the law and politicians were more hostile. The group is currently trying to absorb 150,000 workers at 14 companies, including BMW, Toyota and TSL. Volkswagen's vote is undoubtedly a breakthrough for UAW.
