A united workforce at Volkswagen’s Bratislava plant won higher wage increases than proposed by management after a six-day strike that concluded Monday, June 26. Reuters news agency reported that the agreement reached by the Modern Union Volkswagen (MOV) and Volkswagen
News for Abroad … VW Workers in Slovakia Take a Stand
For the first time in the 26-year history of Volkswagen in Slovakia, workers at the production plant in Bratislava have gone on strike for better wages. According to the Reuters news agency, production lines stopped on Tuesday, June 20 as
Our Message to VW Shareholders: “We Deserve Collective Bargaining!”
Our fight for collective bargaining received a hearing 4,500 miles away and across the Atlantic Ocean at the annual meeting of Volkswagen shareholders held May 10 in Hannover, Germany. Local 42 President Steve Cochran delivered a clear and unequivocal message
Union Leaders From VW Overseas Plants Visit Chattanooga
Union representatives from Volkswagen plants in Mexico, Poland, Brazil, South Africa and the United Kingdom – as well as a large contingent from Local 42 – met in Chattanooga on April 12 and 13 to exchange information on Volkswagen’s labor
GM Workers End 2016 With Quality Bonuses
General Motors workers, including those up the road at the Spring Hill plant, ended 2016 with cash in their pockets. As part of their collective bargaining agreement with the company, production and maintenance employees received $500 bonuses in December for
Steve Cochran’s Report From Wolfsburg
I was privileged to represent our plant at a recent meeting of the Volkswagen Global Group Works Council held December 5-8 in Wolfsburg, Germany. The Works Council is composed of representatives from plants around the world and I provided them
Local 42 Hosts Union Sportsmen’s Banquet
Nearly 250 UAW Local 42 members, friends and family members crowded into the IBEW Auditorium on Sunday evening, November 6, for food, fellowship and fun. Region 8 Director Ray Curry and Assistant Director Ron Hendrix joined the festivities. Before the
Welcome Back James Robinson!
Many of us have observed how differently supposed infractions are dealt with in our plant, depending on the supervisor involved or who it is supposedly committing the infraction. James Robinson, a team member in the Assembly shop, had the courage
Volkswagen’s ‘Hail Mary Pass
The dictionary defines a Hail Mary Pass as a long forward pass in football where completion is considered unlikely. Volkswagen’s Hail Mary Pass is appealing maintenance workers’ union representation victory to the federal courts. Volkswagen’s appeal will almost certainly fail
ACE Out!
When the Jump Start reported on September 22nd that ACE had been disqualified under the COE policy, it did not come as shocking news. The group had clearly been on life support for some time. It was not surprising that an