Unionization is shaking up the auto industry, delivering meaningful gains toward fair pay and other benefits for workers in the U.S. The efforts are particularly significant in the South where a legacy of racist labor laws continues to propagate disparity within the workforce.

In this episode of the Cornell Keynotes podcast from eCornell, Andrew Wolf, a professor of global labor and work at Cornell’s ILR School, delivers insights on the recent union vote at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the implications for similar efforts led by auto workers – and employees in any industry – in the South and beyond.

Hosted by Keynotes senior producer Chris Wofford, this episode explores:

•  The UAW victory at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TN on April 19th
•  Right-to-Work and Jim Crow laws, and the Southern Discount
•  What to expect for the UAW vote at Mercedes plants in Tuscaloosa, AL
• The future of the auto industry and auto unions with the shift towards electric vehicles

Learn more in Andrew Wolf’s April 2024 Vox interview covering the potential impact of Volkswagen’s unionization in Tennessee on auto workers across the nation.

Follow Wolf on X (formerly Twitter).

Enroll in eCornell’s labor relations certificate program, and check out other law and human resources online certificate programs to discover the latest best practices for labor-related legal issues in the workplace.

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