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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Completely Baffling Tale of the Tennessee Autoworkers- Charles P. Pierce
Down in Tennessee, the UAW is organizing at a Volkswagen manufacturing plant in Chattanooga. This is being done with the complete cooperation -- nay, the enthusiastic encouragement -- of the company. This is because Volkswagen is attempting to bring to the U.S. the concept of the "works councils" which have proven to be successful in Europe and elsewhere.
While the details of the arrangement would be ironed out after the election, works councils -- which are elected by all workers in a factory, both blue and white collar, whether or not they belong to the union -- usually help decide things like staffing schedules and working conditions, while the union bargains on wages and benefits. They have the right to review certain types of information about how the company is doing financially, which often means that they're more sympathetic towards management's desire to make cutbacks when times are tough. During the recession, for example, German works councils helped the company reduce hours across the board rather than laying people off, containing unemployment until the economy recovered.
But the really screwy part comes in because the Republicans in the Tennessee legislature have decided to knuckle the company over this effort. And leading the pack is Senator Bob Corker, who is occasionally cast as a "moderate" Republican in our national pageant, but who really is pretty much as big a cluck as the rest of them.
"It's a Detroit-based organization. They're the largest shareholder of General Motors," (Corker) said at a news conference. "The key to their survival is to come down and organize plants in the Southeast." "When UAW organizers look at VW employees they see dues, money in their coffers," he said. The Tennessee Republican said the UAW discussion already is having a dampening impact on wooing new business to Tennessee. If the UAW organizes the VW plant, it will hurt the standard of living of people in the state, he said. "We're concerned about the impact," he said. "Look at Detroit."
In other words, Volkswagen cannot be allowed to build a cooperative relationship with a union even if it wants to do so. Suddenly, government regulation of an industry is looking pretty good to the wingnut caucus in the Tennessee lege.
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/uaw-organizing-volkswagen-tennessee-021214?src=spr_TWITTER&spr_id=1456_43882632
leftyohiolib
(5,917 posts)explain that to your constituents
proudretiredvet
(312 posts)The state is looking at withdrawing some of the major tax incentives that were put in place to bring the plant there. If the plant goes union that is the insinuated threat right now.
randome
(34,845 posts)[hr][font color="blue"][center]"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen, Anthem (1992)[/center][/font][hr]
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)They know exactly what they're doing and precisely who is crossing their palms with silver to do it.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Just doing what they are told.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)-Laelth
bullwinkle428
(20,629 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)eilen
(4,950 posts)adirondacker
(2,921 posts)eilen
(4,950 posts)okaawhatever
(9,462 posts)states? If it weren't for bigotry, the New Deal would have kept the south Democratic. The last thing the Republicans want is something benefitting southerners that Democrats get credit for. (Think Obamacare)
pampango
(24,692 posts)The German auto workers union has pushed VW on this. In addition, VW knows how well the works councils work in Germany to help create a manufacturing powerhouse with good wages and strong unions.
No wonder republicans are worried.
bkanderson76
(266 posts)rafeh1
(385 posts)even if both the company and employees want unions. Ever heard of private property. If the company and itw workers mutually decide to have a Union then its none of the rethugs business
and they dont want Tesla selling cars their either..
pampango
(24,692 posts)they can't have it. There should be a new term for this. "Right-to-work" does not cover it.
Maybe VW will move the plant to a union state, so they will be free to unionize and adopt 'work councils'. At least they should locate future plants in non-RWT states.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)the teevee was flooded with anti-union attack ads which featured about as much sophistication as Willie Horton.
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)A misleading op-ed in Chattanooga's Times Free Press, co-written by a Koch and ALEC ally, falsely claimed creating a union in a local Volkswagen plant would negatively impact the state economy and plant relations, despite evidence to the contrary.
The February 12 op-ed co-authored by Justin Owen of the Koch-tied Beacon Center and anti-union UAW member Terry Bowman misleadingly accused unions of threatening jobs and economic opportunity in the state and claimed workers could have an equal voice in plant decisions without a union:
When all is said and done, the UAW is a hyper-political organization with perspectives and policies contrary to those of many of the workers it claims to represent. The union has a history of using workers' dues to influence elections at all levels of government. Those policies have failed in Detroit and do not fit in a state like Tennessee that is trying to create automotive jobs and economic opportunity. And while many of Tennessee's auto workers have already expressed their opposition to the UAW, the battle is far from over.
Workers should absolutely have the opportunity to freely associate with each other and explore with their respective employers ways to improve their workplace and the quality of the products they produce. At the same time, Volkswagen can allow this to happen by using current, nonunion workers, instead of insisting that only a UAW-represented plant can enter into a works council agreement.
http://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2014/02/12/tennessee-paper-pushes-koch-connected-anti-unio/198041