Bob King has pursued one goal above all as president of the United Automobile Workers — to unionize several foreign-owned auto plants in the South. He said he viewed that as pivotal if his once-mighty union was to gain numbers and strength after decades of decline…

In a news conference, Mr. King conveyed anger and bafflement at the results. He and his union thought they would win partly because Volkswagen, unlike most American companies, vowed to remain neutral and not oppose unionization…

Assessing the U.A.W.’s defeat, Daniel B. Cornfield, a labor relations expert at Vanderbilt University, said: “It will reaffirm the region’s approach to economic development, which is to operate on a nonunion basis. It will create an even more uphill battle for labor unions when they seek to organize in the South.”

One reason the U.A.W. lost was that many VW workers said they already felt that they were paid well and treated well, leading them to question why they needed a union and to pay union dues. The VW workers average about $19.50 an hour, about the same as the newer workers in the Detroit automakers’ lower tier, but about $9 an hour less than workers in Detroit’s upper tier. The VW workers earn several dollars less an hour than employees at most other transplants.