BERLIN: Germany’s largest trade union is opening a joint office with the United Auto Workers in Tennessee to promote labor issues at German automakers and suppliers in the southern United States.
Frankfurt-based IG Metall estimates that 100,000 people work for German-owned automotive companies in the U.S. Most of those workers aren’t represented by unions, unlike at their counterparts at plants in Germany.
IG Metall believes some German manufacturers are exploiting low-wage environments in the U.S. South, where working conditions ” including health and safety situations ” tend to be challenging for employees,” according to a statement obtained by The Associated Press in advance of the official announcement of the new joint office scheduled for later this week.
The move has been in the works for months, but comes against the backdrop of scandal at Volkswagen, which has been the UAW’s chief target among foreign automakers in the U.S.
Volkswagen has admitted to cheating on U.S. emissions tests, creating an air of uncertainty at all of its facilities, including its lone U.S. plant in Chattanooga.
