Volkswagen Workers To Vote On UAW Representation Starting February 12th

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff

An article on the UAW’s website claims that workers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant will vote on representation by the UAW from February 12th-14th via a secret ballot. Previously, the union had pushed for a “card check”, but it now looks like the matter will be taken to a vote.

Per the UAW

Together, Volkswagen Group of America (VWGOA) and the UAW will set a new standard in the U.S. for innovative labor-management relations that benefit the company, the entire workforce, shareholders and the community in general. From Feb. 12-14, Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tenn., will decide the issue of union representation in a secret ballot election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board. If the majority of workers vote for UAW representation, workers would then elect a bargaining committee from among VWGOA workers in Chattanooga to negotiate an agreement with the company, including how a works council would operate in the Chattanooga facility based on the principles of co-determination

TTAC Staff
TTAC Staff

More by TTAC Staff

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 64 comments
  • Catdaddy Catdaddy on Feb 04, 2014

    @xeranar. I am southern and generally anti-union. However, i agree with your arguments about blue v red states and the military. The south is not making sacrifices to host the u.s. military, we are benefiting from it. As a corollary it is well documented that southern states receive more in federal largesse than we pay in federal taxes. Historically unions played a big role in elevating the u.s. middle class, i.e. getting ownership/management to 'share the wealth' and improving working conditions. I do think that ultimately many union rules led to inefficiencies and hurt u.s. competitiveness. However i am troubled by the pay discrepancies between high level management and rank and file workers (blue or white collar). No doubt many of these highly compensated ceo types are talented individuals. But not many of them deserve to make 1000x more than their average employee. I don't think VW chattanooga needs to unionize. But ultimately it's up to them, and you make some good points.

  • Pat D Pat D on Feb 04, 2014

    Never, ever going to buy something built by UAW members. If VW workers go this route, then VW is dead to me. Except my current VW Beetle Turbo is built in Mexico. I'm much happier with it than my previous Honda Accord(s). So, I'll buy Mexican VWs, but never, ever UAW built VWs. You want to know what the UAW does to a city? Here you are: https://www.google.com/search?q=detroit+abandoned&rlz=1C1RNLH_enUS519US519&espv=210&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=hnnwUsq8AcfIyAGbsoDwBA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1745&bih=938 That's the UAW's legacy. Of course, the Big 3's management was complicit because they thought they owned the US market. They gave into the UAW's demands and passed the costs onto the consumers. When it became too expensive to do anything in Detroit, the Big 3 moved out. Eventually, us dumb taxpayers ended up bailing out the UAW because the Obama administration bypassed normal bankruptcy procedures when GM and Chrysler went belly up. VW led the revolt against the Big 3 that let the Japanese manufacturers into the US market. VW offered an alternative so people would think beyond Big 3. It worked very well until the Japanese offered more compelling alternatives. VW dropped the ball because they had no strategy for replacing the original beetle with something better. The Rabbit sucked in the US. The original Accord was ahead of its time and got better generation by generation. Honda, Toyota and Datsun (remember?) swamped VW so it was no longer the cute import alternative. VW, in Germany, has workers' councils, union board representation, and a lot of co-operation between workers and management. By contrast, the UAW always opposed management and played the Big 3 off against each other to ratchet up wages and benefits. VW can kiss any hope of recovering in the US good-bye if it's US factories unionize. Honda, Toyota and Nissan will be praying they do.

  • Challenger2012 Challenger2012 on Feb 04, 2014

    For those who have never experienced an attempt by a union to get into a plant, he is what I experienced as an engineer at a GE facility called Jacinto Port in Houston, Texas, in January of 2000. I was told one morning that there was to be a communications meeting off site. No one had an idea what this was about. We all drove to a hotel where GE’s anti-union guy talked for about 2 hours on how to defeat and disrupt the union organizing attempt at the plant. I specifically remember three things from the meeting. 1) I was told to talk to the hourly guys, if an opportunity came, and tell them how bad the union was going to be. 2) If I saw people standing around and talking, I was to tell them to get back to work and make a list of those who were there. 3) I was told of how Johnson Controls had to pay union scale to workers in a Ford who worked side by side with UAW workers, and how unfair it was for Johnson Controls to have to pay union scale to their worker, boo –hoo-hoo. Well, I am no longer a GE Engineer, but check out the stock price of GE and Johnson Controls, starting January 2000 to today, you will be shocked. Looks like paying union scale didn’t hurt Johnson Controls stock.

  • Jetcal1 Jetcal1 on Feb 04, 2014

    @ Xeranar, 1. Base closure Committees (BRAC) closed a lot of blue state bases because the local communities wanted the military out. (Presido, NAS Glenview, Ft Sheridan, NAS Weymouth.) Property values,and well you know, "these people are really not a good match for our community." 2. The blue state congress critters are no different in the acquisition of pork when compared to the red state critters. 3. Most of the big defense companies are in the beltway....is that red or blue? 4. The boot makers? Have probably been there all along.

Next