(The Center Square) – Workers at Volkswagen Chattanooga who do not want to strike can continue working, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Fund said on Tuesday.
The United Auto Workers union announced last week that a majority of its members had agreed to strike. The union, in a release, accused Volkswagen of unfair labor practices.
The automaker did not add language in its proposal that includes job security if there are plant closures, outsourcing or if the plant is closed, the union said.
The United Auto Workers did not say exactly when the strike could begin.
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Fund said employees do not have to belong to the union, which could fine members who work during a strike. Tennessee has right-to-work protections that allow workers to stop paying union dues without fear of losing their jobs.
“Despite fearmongering, pressure tactics, and misleading statements from union officials, workers always have the right to continue to work during a strike, providing for their families,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “This legal notice reflects the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to helping independent-minded workers who want to exercise their rights, protecting them from union bosses’ coercive tactics that regularly go hand-in-hand with strike demands from union officials.”
The Chattanooga Volkswagen plant, which opened in 2011, employs 4,500 workers, according to the company’s website.
The United Auto Workers stated that Volkswagen generated $20.6 billion in profits in 2024, with 20% of that amount coming from North America.
Volkswagen of America said last month that sales were down by 6% in what the company called a “challenging environment.”
A nine-month report released by the Volkswagen Group, which also produces 10 other brands including Porsche and Audi, said the company had incurred charges due to tariffs.
“Excluding these charges, the Group operating margin is 5.4 percent – at first glance a respectable figure in the current economic environment, Arno Antlitz, CFO and COO of the Volkswagen Group, said in a statement posted on the website. “But increased trading tariffs and the resulting negative volume effects burden us by up to 5 billion EUR on a full-year basis.”
Five billion euros is equivalent to approximately $5.7 billion.
