Volkswagen of America officials say the company is seeking an appeal to a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board for the United Auto Workers to negotiate a labor contract for 160 maintenance workers at the VW plant in Chattanooga.
In a December election, skilled-trades employees voted to designate UAW Local 42 as their collective bargaining representative. The NLRB panel denied the Volkswagen request to review the election.
A Volkswagen spokesman said the company has not yet filed the appeal but will be challenging the ruling.
Volkswagen officials say a skilled-trades-only bargaining unit at the company’s assembly plant in Chattanooga is not appropriate because it only represents a small percentage of the 1,600 employees.
The UAW has tried to get Volkswagen to negotiate a new contract for the 160 members of the unit approved by the NLRB.