Hello Sisters & Brothers,

Last week, the team met with the Executive VP of HR for NAR. Alphabet soup aside, there were several lengthy meetings where our position and goals were clearly laid out and explained to a higher-level of decision makers than before.

This week, they are meeting internally to discuss where things are and what it will take to reach an agreement. We expect to have more meetings next week to discuss their discussions. What comes from that will determine our next steps.

There’s nothing especially surprising about what we told them, as the expectation is and has always been nothing less than what Unionized Autoworkers in the United States receive for their labor. It was clearly stated at the beginning, and it has not changed. We even had some creative ideas to help ease their growing pains, from a financial standpoint.

We are not inflexible or unreasonable. The reality is that workers in this plant are facing very real challenges and hardships, and we need to find our way to terms that address the issues weighing so many of us down.

VW Chattanooga is only as strong as its workforce. Don’t let them forget that. Don’t let yourself be taken for granted. In every other country Volkswagen has an assembly plant, they offer higher wages/benefits than the industry standard, except for here. We are not asking for the lofty German standard, we are just asking for the American standard, and we are damn sure worth every penny of it. Don’t let the company’s tactics ever pressure you or make you think you have to settle short of what you’re worth and what you deserve.

For questions, comments, or concerns, please stop by and visit us in the Academy (the room with all the Union signs). We are closer than Loyalty Parking.

In Solidarity,

-Your UAW Local 42 Bargaining Committee