U.S. labor secretary says UAW win at Tennessee Volkswagen plant shows southern workers back unions

Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su says workers at southern auto plants should be free to unionize without employer or political interference, even as some southern states pass new laws meant to inhibit organized labor. Su told The Associated Press in a Thursday interview that recent votes show all workers, even southern ones, are interested in unions. The United Auto Workers is pursuing a campaign to organize southern auto plants after winning new contracts with Detroit's automakers. Workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted last week to join the UAW. But Southern states are pushing laws to claw back economic incentive dollars if companies recognize unions without a secret ballot election.