US South hopes Volkswagen will become latest foreign automaker to see region's advantages

If Volkswagen AG decides to build its U.S. assembly plant in the South, the German company will join other foreign automakers that are increasingly turning the region into a hotbed of car manufacturing. The South offers automakers ample highway and rail systems and proximity to the large market of U.S. consumers. But its main attraction: Existing auto plant workers, even those who are victims of other industries exporting jobs, have rejected overtures by the United Auto Workers. "Foreign-owned automakers have been a tough nut for the UAW to crack, and the South is particularly difficult," said Harley Shaiken, a University of California, Berkeley, professor who specializes in labor issues. "That is without question an important part of their location decision," he said. Volkswagen's plant will be part of the company's strategy... [read full story]