Last month, the United Auto Workers established a local chapter for workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tennessee plant. This month, opponents of the UAW are working on establishing their own union chapter.

According to Reuters, opponents are creating the first chapter of American Council of Employees, which will allow hourly and salary workers to join. Mike Burton, a key player in defeating the UAW's efforts to represent hourly workers in Chattanooga, is leading the efforts in creating this new union. He tells Reuters that since the UAW lost, more workers have come over to the UAW's side. The hope with this new union is that it will force Volkswagen to hold another vote to decide which union employees want.

Gary Casteel, secretary-treasurer of the UAW, told Reuters that he doesn't think the new union will succeed due to Volkswagen already recognizing the local chapter. Also helping matters is that the chapter has "substantially more than 700 members" at the plant that employs 1500 hourly workers. Burton only has 108 signatures.

Source: Reuters

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at[email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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Union morons looking to cash in on the hard work of others while giving very little. I hope both union efforts fail!

I have become the C and G curmudgeon, and I royally distrust both management and labor. Oh, and GET off of my damn lawn!

In all seriousness, the only good end of this IMHO is to buy a VW built in Pueblo Mexico and support neither the German nor American automotive unions.

Assuming of course that you want a diesel, GTI, or German Camry, as that's about what VW is good for.

We need stronger unions to stick it to these corporations that think they are above the law and answer to no one.

We need stronger unions to stick it to these corporations that think they are above the law and answer to no one.

Or stop having Union Leader Hacks that steal hard working Americans money and give very little back and enforce the Federal laws including informing each American of their rights to negotiate for fair pay, benefits, etc. So many want to be lazy, yet there is a reason you find no unions in the High Tech industry. We are more than able to negotiate for a fair package and if we do not like what they offer, we go some place else. No need to pay someone for what I am already promised by law and can negotiate for myself.

I really like negotiating my own wages. Holding a job is like buying a car, your strongest tool is being able to go out and go elsewhere.