U.S. Volkswagen workers have voted to join the United Autoworkers Union (UAW) by 73% in favor, according to the union's unofficial vote count in Tennessee on the night of April 19.
BBC News notes it as a massive victory for organized labor in the U.S., and the first time the UAW has won an election at a car factory in the American South in decades.
Two prior votes at the factory, including in 2019, had failed, but attitudes toward organized labor appear to be shifting.
The U.S. has seen an increase in strikes and petitions to join unions since the pandemic, drawing in Hollywood actors, Starbucks baristas, tech contractors, healthcare workers, and even college basketball players.
Workers at the only VW factory in the U.S., in Chattanooga, will now be represented by the union to negotiate collectively over issues such as pay and working conditions.
