Autoworkers union celebrates breakthrough win in Tennessee and takes aim at more plants in the South

DALLAS (AP) — The United Auto Workers' overwhelming election victory at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee is giving the union hope that it can make broader inroads in the South, the least unionized part of the country.

The UAW won a stunning 73% of the vote at VW after losing elections in 2014 and 2019. It was the union's first win in a Southern assembly plant owned by a foreign automaker.

Union President Shawn Fain said the pundits all told him that the UAW couldn't win in the South.

“But you all said, ‘Watch this,’ ” he told a cheering group of VW organizers at a union hall in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Friday night, when the UAW victory was clear. "You guys are leading the way. We’re going to carry this fight on to Mercedes and everywhere else.”

However, the UAW is likely to face a tougher test as it tries to represent workers at two Mercedes-Benz plants in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. A five-day election is scheduled to start May 13, where the union’s campaign has already become heated.

The UAW has accused the German carmaker of violating U.S. and German labor laws with aggressive anti-union tactics, which the company denies.

“They are going to have a much harder road in work sites where they are going to face aggressive management resistance and even community resistance than they faced in Chattanooga," said Harry Katz, a labor-relations professor at Cornell University. "VW management did not aggressively seek to avoid unionization. Mercedes is going to be a good test. It's the deeper South.”

Late last year, the UAW announced a drive to represent nearly 150,000 workers at non-union factories largely in the South. The union is targeting U.S. plants run by Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Subaru, Mazda, Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW and Volvo, along with factories operated by electric-vehicle makers Tesla, Rivian and Lucid.

The union's last defeat at VW in Chattanooga came at a low-water mark — in the middle of a federal investigation into bribery and embezzlement under a previous president.

Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University in Detroit who studies the UAW, said the union flipped the script by installing new leadership, touting the rich contracts it won last year from Detroit automakers after strikes at targeted factories, and exploiting a climate that is now more favorable to unions. He said the union was also adept at translating signed pro-union authorization cards into votes — partly by pushing for a quick election.

“Now the public and media eyes are going to be on Chattanooga and how quickly the UAW can translate this into a contract,” he said. If the union can't quickly get a good contract, it risks losing some of the momentum it gained with Friday's election win, he said.

Unions in other industries are already moving ahead with organizing campaigns in the South and trying to learn from the UAW's playbook.

The Association of Flight Attendants, which has tried and failed to win over cabin crews at Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, hopes to collect enough signatures to force another election at Delta by year end. The union's president, Sara Nelson, said she was not surprised at the UAW win after strikes that led to record contracts last year.

“I've been talking about this for a long time — that strikes and taking on the boss is going to spur organizing, and that's exactly what we saw here,” Nelson said.

Nelson is trying to secure an industry-leading contract at United Airlines that she can use to court Delta crews. In the meantime, crews at startup Breeze Airways, many of whom live in the South, will vote next month whether to join her union.

The White House issued a statement from President Joe Biden congratulating the UAW. Biden — who joined a UAW picket line in Michigan during the union's strike against Ford, GM and Stellantis plants last year — praised the success of unions representing autoworkers, Hollywood actors and writers, health care workers and others in gaining better contracts.

“Together, these union wins have helped raise wages and demonstrate once again that the middle-class built America and that unions are still building and expanding the middle class for all workers,” Biden said.

Biden criticized six Southern Republican governors, including Bill Lee of Tennessee, who told autoworkers this week that voting for union representation would jeopardize jobs.

Sharon Block, a law professor at Harvard University who worked for the Biden administration on labor and other issues, said the governors’ warning rang hollow after nonunion Tesla revealed that it plans to lay off 10% of its workers after disappointing sales results. She said VW workers saw the governors' open letter as “an empty threat and a cynical ploy,” and they ignored it.

“Workers for a long time have been told that you can’t organize in the South. And many workers, even not in the South, may work in industries where they’ve been told for a long time you can’t organize,” Block said. “What the UAW showed last night is that we need to go and rethink all those negative statements."

Associated Press writer Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

UAW president Shawn Fain signs an autograph for Volkswagen automobile plant employee Rachel Gleeson after workers voted to join the union Friday, April 19, 2024, in Chattanooga, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Volkswagen automobile plant employee Vicky Holloway becomes emotional as she celebrates after employees voted to join the UAW union Friday, April 19, 2024, in Chattanooga, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Volkswagen automobile plant employee LaShawn Hawthorne, center left, takes picture with UAW president Shawn Fain after workers voted to join the union Friday, April 19, 2024, in Chattanooga, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain speaks to Volkswagen auto workers Friday, April 19, 2024, in Chattanooga, Tenn., after workers at a VW factory voted to join the UAW. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Volkswagen automobile plant employee Stephanie Romack celebrates after employees voted to join the UAW union Friday, April 19, 2024, in Chattanooga, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Cam Rising threw for 92 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game due to an injury to his throwing hand as No. 11 Utah beat Baylor 23-12 on Saturday.

Rising scrambled and released the ball just before being driven out of bounds and was shoved into the water coolers on the Baylor sideline with 1:55 left in the second quarter and went to the locker room for X-rays.

Rising returned to the sidelines in street clothes with the middle fingers of his right hand taped together.

The team did not provide additional information about the quarterback's injury and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said after the game only that Rising's injury is “not real serious.”

Backup quarterback Isaac Wilson led the Utes’ offense after halftime for a second straight game. Utah had only 95 yards in the second half with Wilson leading the offense.

“Certainly, when Cam left the game that was a downer for us,” Whittingham said. “But the world can’t stop turning when Cam exits a game. We got to keep playing, which we did, but we got to be productive, which we were not real productive on offense.”

Micah Bernard rushed for 118 yards to lead Utah (2-0).

Dequan Finn threw for 115 yards and a touchdown in his second start for Baylor (1-1). Finn struggled against Utah’s defense, losing a fumble and getting sacked three times.

“I think he got caught up and wanted to prove people wrong and wanted to make the play and do all these things,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “And I think we’re still fighting that.”

Utah controlled play on both sides of the ball in the first half.

The Utes got on the board midway through the first quarter when Money Parks caught a short pass and turned it into a 28-yard reverse. Rising faked a handoff to Dijon Stanley before flipping the ball to Parks, who scored untouched.

Utah extended its lead to 14-0 on a 2-yard catch by Micah Bernard 20 seconds later. Connor O’ Toole forced Finn to fumble on a blindside hit and Karene Reid recovered the ball at the Baylor 3, setting up the Utes’ second touchdown.

Baylor had minus-10 yards on 10 plays in the first quarter.

Tao Johnson grabbed the ball on a blocked 50-yard field goal attempt and then raced 77 yards down the sideline to extend Utah’s lead to 23-0 with 5:21 left in the second quarter. Johnson was the first Utah player to score a touchdown off a blocked field goal since Jay Hill in 1999 against Wyoming.

It was also just the fifth touchdown off a blocked field goal in school history.

“I was debating on getting out of the way or catching it,” Johnson said. “And I was like, ‘Screw it, I’m gonna catch it.’ So I caught it, took off, and it was just green grass.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Baylor: The Bears had a nightmarish start on offense and never fully recovered. Baylor did not gain a first down until midway through the second quarter and totaled 48 yards by halftime.

Utah: Another dominant performance for the Utes came at a price. Rising suffered an apparent injury to his throwing hand and an extended absence could affect the trajectory of Utah’s season.

GETTING THE CALL

Wilson struggled to move the chains in his second career college game. The true freshman completed 4 of 9 passes for 30 yards. But he will start for Utah against in-state rival Utah State if Rising is unable to return to the lineup.

Whittingham expressed confidence in Wilson to get the job done if he ends up being the team's No. 1 quarterback for an indefinite period.

“He just needs to accrue reps,” Whittingham said. “He is taking steps forward. He’s our guy. He’s the no. 2 guy clearly right now. That’s where we’re at with Isaac.”

Wilson is eager to take a big step forward if he does get his first career start.

“I came into that situation out of nowhere but I got to be ready,” Wilson said. “I got to be there for my teammates. There’s a lot of plays I could have had back and we’re going to go into the film room and we’re going to evaluate that.”

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Utah should move into the top 10 in the next AP Poll on Sunday following the victory.

UP NEXT

Baylor: Hosts Air Force on Saturday.

Utah: At Utah State on Saturday.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising (7) throws against Baylor in the first half during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising (7) tcarries the ball; against Baylor in the first half during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising (7) runs past Baylor linebacker Keaton Thomas (11) in the first half during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)