The American Council of Employees downplayed reports citing the UAW’s recent claim that the union represents a majority of VW-Chattanooga hourly workers. “This is merely part of the UAW’s push to avoid an employee election, and it’s a clear response to ACE’s recent progress in working with management to establish a works council in Chattanooga,” said Sean Moss, ACE president. “This unofficial membership number was intentionally provided by the UAW on publically available labor documents.
The number is unsubstantiated and in no way an official count.”
He said, “Our recent discussions with management have confirmed what we already knew—that the UAW is legally incapable of establishing a works council. Since establishing a works council is the employees’ primary goal and the driving force behind employee organizing, ACE has taken ownership of this important issue, and last week presented management with a detailed proposal for creating a works council at VW-Chattanooga. Certainly, our progress threatens employee support for the UAW, and that’s why we are now seeing the UAW push to avoid an election and instead be recognized through card check.”
Maury Nicely, lead legal counsel for ACE, commented on the legality of card check, saying, “The US Supreme Court and the National Labor Relations Board have consistently said that signed union cards are inherently unreliable indicators of actual support. The Court and Labor Board have also said that secret ballot elections are the only true indicators of employee choice.”
ACE leaders are requesting that any decision on labor representation be made by the employees themselves, fairly and accurately through a secret ballot election.
Discussing the possibility of another election, David Reed, ACE vice president, said, “The UAW is now essentially functioning as a yellow-union [company union], cutting back room deals with Volkswagen executives and receiving support from German labor representatives, in the hopes of avoiding another election. The UAW was rejected in an election just a year ago, and our numbers indicate that if another election were held today, the UAW would be rejected again.”