After union victory at Tennessee auto plant, organizers are eyeing SC

Workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, overwhelmingly voted to join the United Auto Workers on Friday, and some are wondering if a similar union vote could happen in South Carolina.

The Friday election was the UAW’s third attempt to unionize the Chattanooga plant. The union’s victory — 73% voted in favor — was largely caused by the momentum gained from leading a landmark union strike in Detroit last year, according to Scott Baier, a Clemson University economics professor.

“The UAW actually made its first real gains in almost 20 years. I think before that there was no reason why auto workers in Tennessee or other locations in the South would want to unionize, just because they haven’t seen any gains.”

Now, the country may be at a tipping point, Baier said.

Could unions come to SC?

The UAW’s landslide victory in Chattanooga is seen as a watershed moment for unions in the South. The Chattanooga plant is the only foreign auto plant in the region to join the UAW, according to The Washington Post.

The organization could now try to unionize workers in other Southern states, including South Carolina, Kirk Randazzo, a University of South Carolina political science professor, said.

A Mercedes-Benz factory near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will be holding a union election in May.

South Carolina has more than 75,000 auto industry workers and several large manufacturing plants, including Mercedes-Benz and Volvo in Charleston, BMW in Spartanburg and a SCOUT Motors plant under construction in Blythewood that’s set to begin production at the end of 2026.

The BMW plant builds globally sold X-model sport-utility vehicles, and the Charleston Volvo plant builds the S60 sedan and the EX90 SUV, according to the companies’ websites. The SCOUT Motors plant will produce all-electric trucks and SUVs and could bring over 4,000 jobs to the state, according to the Richland County Economic Development Office.

The UAW recently launched a $41 million campaign to encourage auto workers, particularly in the South, to unionize, according to The Washington Post. As part of that campaign, the UAW plans to target the BMW and Volvo plants in South Carolina, the Post and Courier of Charleston reported.

Randazzo said the campaign likely prompted a group of Republican Southern governors, including South Carolina’s Henry McMaster, to release a joint statement last week denouncing the union’s efforts. The statement claimed that the UAW’s campaign is “driven by misinformation and scare tactics,” and warned that unions would be detrimental to Southern economies.

Randazzo said the political and economic interests of McMaster and other Southern governors coincide to strengthen their opposition to the UAW.

The UAW is backed by President Biden. If the union became firmly rooted in the typically Republican-dominated South, politicians would be concerned about losing some political strength, Randazzo said.

McMaster has been outspoken about unions in the past. In this year’s State of the State address, he said he would fight unionization “all the way to the gates of hell.”

South Carolina already has the lowest rate of union members in the country at 2.3%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

So, could the UAW make gains in such an anti-union state?

Baier said he thinks unionization would be considered at South Carolina plants, but the UAW doesn’t have the same momentum in South Carolina as it does in other places.

The State asked the BMW Spartanburg plant how the company and its employees might react to a unionization attempt. It replied with a statement sent via email.

“BMW Manufacturing believes the UAW’s record shows that the union has nothing of value to offer” BMW workers or the company’s Spartanburg plant, the statement said.

Even with resistance from South Carolina companies, workers are more interested in unionization than they were before, Randazzo said.

He said six months ago, South Carolina workers would have overwhelmingly voted against the union. But the UAW’s recent wins could prompt workers to hold an election. He said the UAW’s pitch goes beyond increasing salaries to improving benefits, providing better working conditions and giving workers a voice. That appeals to workers, Randazzo said.

“Given all the different dynamics involved, I think there’s a better likelihood for a union vote,” he said.

How would unions impact SC jobs?

The joint statement from Southern governors says unionization in the South would put jobs in jeopardy and halt growth in the region’s auto manufacturing sector.

But Baier said the claim isn’t entirely founded.

“I actually don’t think in the long run there will be jobs at stake. The employment structure may change or shift a little bit, but I don’t think that there will be job loss.”

Baier said there could be short-term effects of unionization like falling stock prices for unionized plants, but the long-term effects would be more significant. Companies could see slower long-term growth, and other businesses could be hesitant to set up shop in the South.

He also said there could be some risk involved in unionization because not all regions have the same labor market. So, something that worked for other states may not work for South Carolina. He said a misstep could be potentially costly for auto plants and the labor market as a whole.

On the other hand, unionization at South Carolina auto plants could give workers a unified voice to negotiate with management. That would make it easier to address problems that hinder productivity, Baier said.

For a UAW election to be held at a South Carolina auto plant, the union would first need to provide evidence of support from at least 30% of plant employees, according to the National Labor Relations Board.