A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling on behalf of body shop workers in Chesapeake, VA could set a significant precedent in the auto industry.
In an important decision for U.S. car dealers, the NLRB ruled the 19 body shop workers at Hall Chevrolet was an appropriate voting unit for purposes of a union election, even though the workers were part of a larger workforce of 70 workers in the service and parts department.
“The NLRB in the last several years has allowed unions to petition for smaller and smaller voting units, imposing on employers the risk of having their workforce fragmented by narrowly-tailored union petitions,” reads a Washington, DC-based car dealer association bulletin taking note of the decision.
The body shop workers voted to join the IAM in July.
