Late Friday, a majority of Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga overwhelmingly voted to join the United Auto Workers.

The vote is historic, as they are the first workers in the South outside the "Big Three" automakers to be successful. Among the more than 3,600 workers, 73% voted for the UAW to represent them.

Isaac Meadows, an assembly line worker and member of the volunteer organizing committee, said the Volkswagen workers now have a voice.

"We actually now have a vested interest in this company as a partnership," Meadows explained. "We get to negotiate our pay, our benefits, our working schedule, and then ultimately, demand the respect that we deserve in the workplace."

The vote to unionize came despite opposition from six Southern governors, including Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.

President Joe Biden congratulated the Volkswagen workers for their groundbreaking decision.

Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers, in a victory speech after the vote, praised workers for their decadelong fight and said now, they have to continue to stand together.

"The real fight begins now," Fain asserted. "The real fight is getting your fair share. The real fight is the fight to get more time with your families. The real fight is to fight for our union contracts."

Sharon Block, professor of practice at the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School, said the Chattanooga vote will radiate strength to other campaigns, including Mercedes-Benz workers at an Alabama plant who will vote to organize next month.

"Workers for a long time have been told, 'You can't organize in the South. The labor movement is on a downslide; it's not possible,'" Block observed. The UAW showed that it can be done, and I think that just opens up a window of possibility."

Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, associate professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, said research indicates when unions establish themselves in specific businesses and sectors, they create ripple effects on nonunionized plants. He added when workers benefit, communities benefit.

"When workers have higher wages and better working conditions, it allows them to better participate in their local communities, better support their families," Hertel-Fernandez emphasized. "I think there's good reason to think that this is going to help the local community in which the plant operates."

He predicted the win will fuel future UAW efforts in the South.


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November is Military Family Appreciation Month. Service members and spouses alike can face challenges entering into the workforce once they leave the military.

Progress is being made slowly, but experts said more needs to be done. About 200,000 service members a year transition from active-duty to civilian life and many experience rescinded offers, underemployment or inadequate preparation for their transition.

Jonathan Pride, vice president of field operations for NPower, an organization providing skills training to veterans and their families, said uncertainty is one of their biggest challenges in the transition.

"A lot of the time, it's the only job they've ever had and so, they don't know how their skills will translate on the other side with corporations and partners and employers," Pride explained. "Trying to translate their skills and their experiences into a resume, I think, is one of the hardest things."

The National Veterans' Training Institute found veteran unemployment dropped by more than 3% in 2023 but Pride pointed out veterans also run into what he calls the "paper ceiling," a barrier keeping workers without college degrees from getting higher-wage jobs.

Given the frequency of moves, service members often do not finish their schooling in one place. Price observed many times, they leave the military with some college, or maybe a couple classes away from a degree.

"When an employer has a paper ceiling in place, where the minimum expectation is a college degree, sometimes that disqualifies many qualified veterans and veteran spouses who could do very well in these roles," Pride noted. "But because they don't have a college degree, they're barred from entry into that employer."

Pride stressed NPower looks past the degree requirements to work directly with employers to place veterans in apprenticeships, so they can learn on the job, pursue an education and earn a paycheck.

Normally, troops go through a Transition Assistance Program. Now, the Employment Navigator and Partnership Program provides one-on-one coaching to military members and their spouses.

James Rodriguez, assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans Employment and Training Services, said he hopes to expand the program as it leaves the pilot phase.

"We're going to look to build that out even more in the future, so we can hope to do the same type of support for every service member in the future, which would be ideal," Rodriguez emphasized. "However, it does take a lot more work and a lot more resources to make sure that this program can be successful in the future."

As of August, the Employment Navigator and Partnership Program has helped more than 18,000 veterans and family members.


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If state and local governments want healthier populations, new findings suggest they should be more aggressive in tackling income inequality. A Nebraska organization feels that approach is on point.

A new study from Johns Hopkins University looked at obesity levels in more than 3,000 counties across the country. The places with minimum wages of at least $9 an hour had greater success in reducing obesity rates.

Christine Cary, who helps address economic justice with the group Stand In for Nebraska, said other data routinely show that healthier foods tend to cost more, so the connection made in this new research is pretty clear.

"Raising the minimum wage is obviously a way to increase access to healthier food," she said. "You just have more money to spend on it."

In 2022, Nebraska voters approved a gradual increase in the state's minimum wage, which is set to reach $15 an hour in 2026. At the same time, the state doesn't fare well in obesity rankings.

Cary said she sees a chance for numbers to improve as wages go up, but noted that not all communities have stores that sell healthy foods, potentially hindering that progress.

The study's authors also called for "place-based" interventions, such as urban farming initiatives and subsidies for healthy food retailers to go along with higher wages. Cary said that's an important step in tackling this issue.

"It's pretty well known among geographers that we shop at the closest place," she said, "meaning don't expect people who are already low income to seek these things out."

She said creating more awareness and options in underserved communities can help maximize the impact of higher wages from a public health standpoint. Cary said that's especially important in a rural state such as Nebraska, which has seen its food retail and health facility options disappear in smaller towns and cities.


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The latest "Speak Up MO" report reveals the economic struggles facing Missourians, adding to earlier findings about community concerns and the challenge of accessing affordable health care.

Although 59% feel financially comfortable, many say they can't save. Around one in four people couldn't afford food at least once in the past year, and nearly 10% faced possible eviction.

This hardship hits people of color, those with disabilities, and households earning under $50,000 per year the hardest.

Sheldon Weisgrau, vice president of health policy and advocacy at from the Missouri Foundation of Health, highlighted the report's overall message.

"What's really interesting, especially in the wake of the election we just had, in that folks are satisfied with where they are," said Weisgrau, "but have a feeling that things are heading in the wrong direction and that their neighbors are not doing so well."

Although the report identified the cost of living as the state's biggest challenge, it found Missourians remain moderately optimistic about their local economy.

Another key part of the report asked people whether the problem was having enough jobs overall, or having enough well-paying jobs.

Weisgrau noted most respondents pointed to the lack of well-paying jobs as the bigger problem.

"We saw that reflected in Missouri in the vote on Proposition A," said Weisgrau, "which voted to raise the minimum wage and mandate some paid sick leave for workers."

The report also highlights how financial insecurity seriously impacts the mental and physical well-being of Missourians, with one participant mentioning financial security reduces stress and frustration.