UAW Region 5 gains 400 new members in organizing win

TVS Supply Chain Solutions employees vote by a two-to-one margin in favor of union representation

By SHERI GASSAWAY
Correspondent

Wentzville, MO – UAW Region 5 is welcoming 400 new members thanks to a successful organizing drive at TVS Supply Chain Solutions, which supplies parts to the General Motors Assembly Plant in Wentzville.

The employees, who are responsible for warehousing, sequencing, assembly and parts distribution, voted 217 to 117 in a National Labor Relations Board-supervised election on July 5 and 6 to join the UAW and have a voice in their workplace. They will become members of UAW Local 282.

“We applaud the hard work that went into this organizing drive and welcome our newest members into our region,” said UAW Region 5 Director Gary Jones. “I would like to give thanks to UAW Locals 2250, 282 and 1887 for their support and assistance to TVS employees as they organized and brought this drive to a successful conclusion.”

SHOW OF SOLIDARITY

On July 3, members of UAW Local 2250 who work at the GM Plant held two rallies at TVS in a show of support and solidarity for workers who would be voting on union certification. TVS is in Wentzville near the GM Plant and the UAW 2250 Union Hall.

Kim Cook Bell, UAW Local 2250 Women’s Committee co-chairwomen, helped organize the rallies. After the vote, she welcomed the employees to the UAW on her Facebook page and applauded the work of UAW organizers.

“This is a huge victory for the working class,” she wrote. “Thank you to our awesome UAW Union organizers. You do an excellent job educating the labor force on the value and benefits of union representation. Let the collective bargaining begin.”

EMPLOYEES WELCOME VICTORY

Tim Kabhuba, a TVS material handler who’s been with the company for seven years, said he is looking forward to working with the UAW.

“This is my first experience with the UAW, and I welcome this victory and a chance to have a voice at the table,” he said. “We did not do this alone. There was a lot of hard work and a lot of support from the UAW region.”

Alfred White, another TVS materials handler, added: “This just makes good economic sense as a way to improve our wages and benefits. We wanted to organize before and the company told us we didn’t need a union, and they would take care of us. They just didn’t do that.”

ABOUT UAW REGION 5

UAW Region 5, headquartered in Hazelwood, MO, covers 17 states in the western and southwestern United States, including: Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Alaska, Washington and Hawaii.

Its members work in the auto parts, aerospace and beverage container industries. Others work in academia and include graduate student employees at the University of California. For more information, visit region5.uaw.org or call 314-731-2800.