In a historic first test of the United Auto Workers' renewed effort to organize nonunion factories, employees at a Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted to join the union on Friday. The union received 73% of the votes cast, with 2,628 in favor and 985 against. This victory comes after two previous defeats in 2014 and 2019, but this time workers voted convincingly for the UAW, signaling a shift in attitude towards unionization in the region.

President Joe Biden, who supported the UAW and won its endorsement, praised the union's win as part of a broader trend of major union gains across the country. The UAW's new president, Shawn Fain, was elected on a platform of cleaning up after a bribery-and-embezzlement scandal and taking a more confrontational approach with automakers. The union's success in recent strikes against Detroit's major automakers has emboldened them in their organizing efforts.

The UAW's win at the VW plant in Chattanooga is seen as a warning to nonunion manufacturers in the South. Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University, believes that the UAW's victory will send a powerful message to companies that the union is knocking at the door and they must step up their game to remain nonunion.

Volkswagen, which had warned workers that joining the union could lead to job losses, thanked workers for voting and stated that 83.5% of production workers participated in the election. The company has raised production worker pay by 11% to $32.40 per hour, exceeding the median household income for the Chattanooga area. However, under UAW contracts, top production workers at GM earn $36 an hour, or about $75,000 a year excluding benefits.

The UAW's win at the VW plant could mark a turning point for the union in the South, where organizing efforts have faced resistance from employers and elected officials. The UAW's success in the region could have broader implications for organized labor and workers' rights across the country.