The United Auto Workers (UAW) union and Germany's IG Metall union have agreed to work together on gaining representation of US workers, in a project called the Transnational Partnership Initiative. According to a statement by the UAW, among the project's goals is improving the wages and working conditions of employees at German-owned auto manufacturers and suppliers in the United States. The initiative is also working to "expand on the principle of 'co-determination' between management and employees by establishing German-style works councils or similar bodies to promote employee representation", the statement said. The partnership group will be based in Spring Hill, Tennessee, United States.
Significance: The UAW has long been working to unionise foreign-owned plants in the US, including those owned by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen (VW). The union has made some inroads at VW, but does not have full representation rights yet. The UAW's industry presence has been shrinking over the years and it needs more members to remain strong and relevant. Currently, the UAW is in the process of negotiating and obtaining membership approval of new four-year labour contracts at Ford and General Motors (GM). With GM, the UAW is exploring how to address conditions that caused skilled-trades members to reject a proposed contract, while Ford's UAW employees are voting this week on a proposed contract.
