In Major Breakthrough, Volkswagen Auto Workers Reach Tentative Deal

[Omaha Steve]

Workers at the Chattanooga assembly plant reached a tentative agreement with Volkswagen on February 4, almost two years after voting to unionize (pictured). Photo: UAW


Volkswagen had dangled a treat: a ratification bonus of $4,000, sweetened by $1,500 if a first contract at its assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was approved by Halloween 2025. But auto workers had a trick up their sleeves: collective action.

One hundred and sixty workers on the second shift hampered that day’s production schedule by skipping work in a mass call-out. Workers used sick time or paid time off to secure the day off, leaving management in a bind.

“They couldn’t run the lines,” said bargaining committee member Josh Epperson, an equipment operator who was once a Walmart supervisor. “They limped along where they could. They tried to move people around. And ultimately they decided to cancel production.”

Days earlier, a majority of workers had voted to authorize a strike if necessary. “We really do control whether or not these lines run, whether these machines produce cars,” said Epperson. “It was an eye-opening moment for the company as well.”

FULL story: https://labornotes.org/2026/02/major-breakthrough-volkswagen-auto-workers-reach-tentative-deal