[talaniman]

712 t0 626 0ut of 1550 is a pretty close vote. See you at the next one.

[cdad]

I think what it is in this situation is that the people smartened up for the vote. The UAW is the largest share holder in GM. Is this really the union you would want to represent your interests when what you do directly hurts what they take ownership in?

There are plenty of unions out there and plenty of reasons to join a good union. The problem here is that VW seems to be already taking care of their people.

[speechlesstx]

Not close enough. That makes how many unionized auto plants in the south now, while Detroit is still a festering boil?

[talaniman]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/bu...ssee.html?_r=0

The business community reacted with further dismay when several Volkswagen officials from Germany visited the plant and hinted that it would be good to have a labor union because that would help establish a German-style works council. Such councils, comprising managers and representatives of white-collar and blue-collar workers, seek to foster collaboration within a factory as they forge policies on plant rules, work hours, vacations and other matters.

Matter of time before southerners wake up and get their own interests together. They may have lost by 80 votes this year, but no doubt there will be a second vote. And of course I took the liberty of finding my own liberal news post on this,

Disgusting! GOP Tries to Bully American Workers Seeking Union at Tennessee Volkswagen Plant | Alternet

Usually, it’s the company management you have to worry about when you’re trying to form a union. But this time, the automaker is not opposing the vote, and in fact, the company has stated it does not want anyone interfering with its employees’ legal right to choose a union if that’s what they want. Republicans, on the other hand, are anything but neutral, and have come out as the strong-arm champions.
Corporate America likes to do business union-free, and Tennessee Republicans have warned that business flight and economic Armageddon will result if workers dare to organize. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn) came out with an explosive statement on Wednesday, saying that he had been “assured” that if the plant workers end up rejecting UAW representation, the company would reward the plant with a new product to build, an SUV.

Elsewhere in the world, Volkswagen plants have a German-style works council, in which members elected by employees are able to make key decisions about the facility's operations. If the Chattanooga workers decide on a union, VW would institute a works council and the UAW would bargain over wages and benefits.
Having a union makes a difference: Workers at the VW plant make roughly $19 an hour, while $26 to $28 an hour is the norm for experienced hourly workers in Detroit. Unions are also good for the overall economy; when workers have purchasing power and can buy the goods and services they need, that helps keep the economy chugging along.
Unions paved the way for the middle class in America. With their anti-union frenzy, Republicans are sending a strong signal that they don't care about the middle class, or giving ordinary people a chance to share in the prosperity they help create.

I know Repubs hate bargaining, cooperating, and most who agree with them have NEVER worked in a union shop, and they benefits anyway. Talking about YOU Speech. Taking free stuff that others worked for!!

[tomder55]

no there won't be another vote....and if there is the gap will widen. More likey is that the emperor will have his poodles at the NLRB declare the vote invalid because that idiot Sen Corker opened his pie hole. The UAW spent a lot of resources trying to unionize this plant. Not only that ;but the emperor added his 2 cents worth of persuasion. They have yet to unionize a foreign-owned auto plant setting up shop in the South . VW may have been touting a pro-union line to appease their workers in Germany . Every other foreign-owned auto maker has threatened to shut down their plants if they became unionized. Not that it matters . The workers in the plants are the best paid workers in the area.

[tomder55]

Meanwhile the boom in American auto manufacturing is found in Mexico . With Mexican auto manufacturing boom, new worries - The Washington Post good thing we bailed out GM !!!

[paraclete]

Yes Tom you must get used to the new paradigm where traditional industries bleed slowly to death while multinationals pursue the profit motive

[tomder55]

you are living in the past . What do you think should be done ? nationalize the industry ?

[talaniman]

Get the board of directors to share the wealth and profits and don't be so damn greedy and states should stop subsidizing the greedy b@stards. If they can't make a profit without gouging the profit makers then let 'em go to where ever.

And show me a link where those VW/Tenn. Automakers make as much as the union UAW shops. You sound like Speech, taking the benefits of union gains, without paying union dues. And yes there will be a push in a year for another vote. Unfortunately no one even brought out the fact that workers at VW/Tenn. Would have the individual option of being union or not had the won the vote. Now they all have no choice.

I hope they do sue the elected officials who used the intimidation and scare tactics to keep them the ONLY VW factory in the world without a Work Council.

[tomder55]

And show me a link where those VW/Tenn. Automakers make as much as the union UAW shops.

If I had made such a statement I would provide a link. But I didn't . What I did say is that the non-union workers at the foreign automaker's plants are making the highest wages in the area.

[tomder55]

I hope they do sue the elected officials who used the intimidation and scare tactics to keep them the ONLY VW factory in the world without a Work Council

Corker is an idiot .I stick with my position that VW was appeasing their own domestic workforce by supporting unionization of the American plant. The only way there will be a new vote is if the stooges of the emperor at the NLRB invalidate the vote. Look ;the UAW threw their whole weight behind the unionization vote. I worked in a plant where similar pressures were applied to the workforce and it was hell on earth. Before I even entered the plant I was confronted by union thugs ,and the same thing happened at the end of the shift . Cars were vandalized and fights broke out . F the unions !!!!

[talaniman]

Well where's the link to prove that?

Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Labor costs at the Tennessee plant, including wages and benefits, have been estimated to average $27 an hour, below those of Ford, GM, Chrysler, and other foreign automakers

[tomder55]

$27 an hour . You make it sound like it's sh+t wages . That's a base pay of $56,160 . Probably not a bad deal for a Ten. factory worker . Certainly the workers thought they were fairly paid . From the Slimes :

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.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/bu...oubt.html?_r=0 But screw the workers right ? Why should they have a choice ?

[talaniman]

That's wages AND BENEFITS! You need to reread my links because even if a union was voted in, the workers still had a choice to pay dues, OR NOT.

[cdad]

Looks like they make close to the same money according to the article you posted.

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.


They started a 2 teir system in Detroit and the new employees make much less then those that have been there for a longer time. So when you start spouting off about wages you need to look at what is real vs what is the media's perspective.

[Tuttyd]

Tom
"Corker is an idiot"



Tom,that pretty much goes without saying. It is a case of ideology leading to one cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

I don't think the desire of VW to agree to an organized labor union has anything to to do with appeasement. It seems as though it is a necessary requirement under the National Labor Relations Act.

VW probably see itself as being better off under the Act if it does implement a German style employee involvement.

Just having a quick look at the Act and NLRB v Electromation, Inc suggests to me workers could wield more power if they were not a member of organized labor.

Obviously I am not a lawyer, but I could get a legal opinion. The only problem is that all such persons I know are pro-union. Including myself of course.



Also I would be very surprised if VW haven't done their homework in this area

[talaniman]

Cdad, all due respect I am a union member, so my spouting is first hand not something I read. Simple fact that's disregarded is UAW is working WITH management to structure labor relations between workers, and management to the betterment of both.

The two tiered wage scale for new employees was a union concession YEARS ago. Maybe you should check your own media sources.

If Tennessee workers are happy, so am I. I support their right to decide their own future, and the direction it takes.

[tomder55]

. It seems as though it is a necessary requirement under the National Labor Relations Act.

not true ... that is why the rank and file got a vote on it. Tennessee is a right to work state . Right-to-work law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia That means the employees have the choice to unionize ...or not . Trust me . None of the foreign-owned auto companies that have opened plants in the South favor a unionized shop. Most have threatened to close the shop if the employees unionize. Corker is an idiot because he risked a tampering charge by the NLRB when he made the claim that VW would open another production line in the plant if the employees voted against unionizing . Even if they implied that ,he should've kept it to himself .

[talaniman]

We agree Tom, the lawmakers could have trusted workers to decide their own fates and kept their mouth shut. I would raise a stink just to show those loudmouths to shut up and stay out of the way of business doing what they do best for themselves. They probably won't, not in court any way.

[Tuttyd]

Tom, we might be talking about two different things here.

My understanding was that Employee involvement initiated by the company was illegal as it constitutes employer dominated labor. As per "Electromantion V NLRB"

I was suggesting that it might be legal for organized labor to participate in such a scheme. I guess it all depends on the definition of "organized labor".