But they are lacking in the US, where federal law makes it difficult for companies to establish works councils and prohibits negotiations between employers and employees over working conditions outside of collective bargaining, even though most workers lack collective bargaining rights. Promisingly, the United Automobile Workers union recently announced that, as it continues to push for collective bargaining rights, it is also cooperating with management to form a works council in the German-owned Volkswagen plant in Tennessee.
工作委员会和强大的集体讨价还价权利都是高生产率工作的特征，在发达经济体中很常见。但在美国它们并不常见，联邦法让公司难以成立工作委员会，并禁止雇主和雇员在集体讨价还价范畴之外展开工作条件谈判，即使大部分员工没有集体讨价还价权。令人欣喜的是，美国汽车工会（United Automobile Workers）最近宣布，在继续推进集体讨价还价权的同时，它也正在与管理层合作，在田纳西州德资大众汽车工厂成立工作委员会。