However, the process of securing and holding these elections is lengthy, and business owners often opt to voluntarily recognize unions when there is overwhelming support for one. If signed into law, Georgia SB 362 would specifically bar these businesses from tax credits for jobs associated with large-scale projects (Code Section 48-7-40.24), state community development program funds from the Department of Community Affairs (Code Section 50-8-8), and incentives through the OneGeorgia Authority (Code Section 50-34-1 through 50-34-19). The bill was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp on April 23. Kemp openly opposes the growth of unions in Georgia. A joint statement issued by him and other southern governors declares this opposition in the name of “protecting businesses”.

At the same time, laws like SB 362 attack businesses that voluntarily choose to recognize unions. These contradictory actions reveal that the State of Georgia is not primarily concerned with providing workers with jobs through the nurturing of businesses but is interested in keeping Georgia workers in a weak position. 

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Motivated by the difficult conditions at the plant, many report that the physical demands of the job are so high that they doubt they will be able to continue working until they are eligible for Medicare. The Montgomery plant is the second most productive plant in the world in terms of production speed, which only exacerbates the already challenging conditions. Additionally, Hyundai offers no sick days and only three personal days per year.

The hope is that unionization will not only bring wage increases but also retirement security, better safety standards and less demanding schedules. The mere discussion of a union led Hyundai to promise a 25% wage increase over four years and the success of UAW’s Stand-Up Strike has added fuel to the campaign. Workers remain committed to their cause and are eager to see the positive changes a union can bring.

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In less than 60 days of the current drive, over half of eligible workers had signed cards expressing their desire to have UAW representation. In the months ahead, organizers at the plant will need to continue their efforts. Once 70% of eligible plant workers sign their cards in favor of union representation, the UAW will file a request that Volkswagen voluntarily recognize their representation. If the company refuses, the union will ask the National Labor Relations Board to step in and hold an election. The UAW hopes that with a majority of support, Volkswagen will be forced to recognize the union. Whether this can be accomplished remains to be seen, but the current momentum is a good sign.

This plant which opened in 2009 has previously seen union drives in 2014 and 2019 where the UAW lost by narrow margins. As with the previous attempts, union organizers will have to overcome union busting tactics by not just the company, but State political leaders who led the anti-union campaigns in the first two unionization efforts. Labor Today stands firmly in solidarity with the workers in their quest for union representation and will stay on top of the events as they happen.

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After failing to reach a negotiated agreement this summer between the union and the companies, on September 15, 2023 the UAW initiated a simultaneous strike at one assembly plant at each company of the Big Three Detroit automakers. As negotiations over a contract have dragged on, the union has been picking up traction and extending the strike to further locations around the country. The UAW has since taken the fight to the Big Three’s most profitable facilities. First hitting Ford’s truck plant in Louisville KY and then moving on to Stellantis’ assembly plant in Sterling Heights MI. Then, in response to GM announcing record profits for its third quarter earnings, the union moved to also shut down GM’s assembly plant in Arlington TX.  

According to the consulting firm Anderson Economic Group, the strike’s fifth week has roughly cost the U.S. auto industry a collective $9.3 billion, or, as reported by the Louisville Courier-Journal, $30 million per day, a stark reminder to workers and shareholders everywhere as to who the credit behind a company’s profits can rightly be attributed. In response to the ongoing strike the Big Three have initiated layoffs totaling around 7,000 workers, an ironic turn of events for companies who envision themselves to be “job creators”. As usual, the companies’ statements to the press on the matter have been claiming they presented the union with a fair deal and that the strike is “unnecessary and irresponsible”. Unfortunately for them tens of thousands of their own employees clearly seem to disagree. UAW’s president Shawn Fain recently announced that the strike will continue because there is “more to be won”.  

Then, suddenly, to many peoples surprise, on October 25^th UAW reached a tentative agreement and won a major contract with Ford, the company which employs the most UAW members. The agreement includes an 11% immediate raise with a 25% raise over the life of the 4-year contract, reinstated COLAs, an elimination of the two-tier-pay system, a reduction of progression to top pay from 8 years to 3 years, increased funding of workers’ pension plans, and, hugely, the right to strike over plant closures. The contract won is a momentous achievement for the employees, namely due to it featuring more raises than the workers received for the last 22 years combined. In the week that followed, UAW reached similar agreements with both General Motors and Stellantis, only time will tell if the membership will accept these agreements. This turn of events constitutes a great victory for not only UAW workers, but for labor everywhere. Valuable lessons have been learned through this struggle, through bitter experience, to which labor will have to learn from in order to prepare for the battles that lay ahead. For, although this battle has been won, the war carries on. 

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