In a victory for right to work advocates, the NLRB has scheduled a secret ballot election at the Volkswagon plant in Chattanooga, TN for next week to determine if the UAW.

The question on the ballot will be whether workers should authorize a workers' council to decide work rules and have input on plant efficiency. The union would negotiate wages and benefits.

UAW President Bob King:

 "We would be certified as a bargaining representative of the workers at (the VW plant in) Chattanooga, Tenn., if it were not for the right wing forces ... Only because of the right-wing attacks and right-wing pressure, we're going to have to go to an election." 

A union organizer explains why they don't want a vote:

"United Auto Workers organizer Gary Casteel says Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tenn., workers want to form a union.  But he's not particularly interested in letting them put that up to a vote.  'We've determined we definitely have a majority of employees who favor this representation,' Casteel told the Tennessean last month.  'But we are not seeking a vote necessarily.'  Why not, if that is what the workers want?  'We know if we go for a traditional election where the outside organizations could campaign against us, we'd probably lose,' Casteel said."

Union efforts to organize at foreign auto plants in the south have met with limited results. Only one other foreign auto plant in the south has been successfully unionized.

The company is not allowing opponents of unionization to disseminate information:

The company declined worker requests on Friday to allow union opponents to provide information to workers about perceived disadvantages of union membership, despite the fact that union officials have been granted such opportunities.

"Volkswagen workers opposed to UAW representation have been shut down by management in a blatant attempt to grease the union's move into the company," Center for Worker Freedom Executive Director Matt Patterson said of the company's decision

A petition endorsed by 600 workers once again requested equal campaign time on Monday, according to a letter obtained by Nooga.com.

"Volkswagen team members are entitled to be provided with all available information concerning their options, as well as the potential implications of those choices," VW employee Mike Burton said in the letter. "We are simply asking that the team members be provided with information to assist them in making an informed decision."

Tennessee is a right to work state, so even if the union vote is successful, workers can choose not to join. The vote will be held February 12 and 14.