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Tenn. Workers Reject Union at Auto Plant

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jhmd2000

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http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304434104579382541226307368

If you view unions as a good thing, do they simply need to improve their messaging? I find the following takes instructive:

"Unfortunately, politically motivated third parties threatened the economic future of this facility and the opportunity for workers to create a successful operating model that that would grow jobs in Tennessee," Gary Casteel, the union official in charge of the VW campaign, said in a statement.

What does the target demo think of their allegedly missed opportunity to create "a successful operating model that would grow jobs in Tennessee"?

"If the union comes in, we'll have a divided work force," said Cheryl Hawkins, 44, an assembly line worker with three sons. "It will ruin what we have."

***

"I just don't trust them," said Danielle Brunner, 23, who has worked at the plant for nearly three years and makes about $20 an hour—about $5 an hour more than new hires at GM, Ford and Chrysler plants.

---

While it is tempting to give Mr. Casteel credit for a successful operating model that grows jobs in Tennessee (by running a union that made workers in Michigan unemployable by comparison), I don't think that's what he had in mind. I continue to believe that instead of debiting worker's paychecks for union dues (which apparently Ms. Brunner is doing just fine without their help, by comparison), the companies should countermatch the amount the unions would charge in company stock/options granted to their workforce. That pushes ownership of the company down the org chart and puts everyone on the same page and pulling the rope in the same direction. If companies do a better job taking care of their own people than unions will never get a foothold, and we can avoid repeating the mistakes of the rust belt.
 
All I read was the thread title. This was a really bad outcome.

What I doubt anyone will talk about is the VW wanted the union in and the employee board to exist. This business model has worked for them for nearly a century in many countries. It what the employees and an executives alike have found to be the most efficient way to run operations.

It was disgraceful for the governor and Senator Corker to intervene and spend money to tell VW how to do business. I thought Republicans were for letting businesses operate they way they want to do.

The employees were lied to here by anti-union politicians and outside groups. Hell, VW even got the UAW to change their policies to allow the board and the management to make decisions without the OK from the UAW.
 
The workers at the plant have spoken. Power to the people.
 
It always cracks me up how invested partisans get in some decision by random people in Tennessee about whether they want to unionize or not.
 
So it's illegal to run a plant with a "work council" unless the workers are in a union....so VW needed a union which was going to impose more complex rules on the system so the workers rejected it. How about we change the laws to allow workers to participate in company decisions with being unionized???? Make too much sense?
 
RJKarl said:
All I read was the thread title. This was a really bad outcome.

What I doubt anyone will talk about is the VW wanted the union in and the employee board to exist. This business model has worked for them for nearly a century in many countries. It what the employees and an executives alike have found to be the most efficient way to run operations.

It was disgraceful for the governor and Senator Corker to intervene and spend money to tell VW how to do business. I thought Republicans were for letting businesses operate they way they want to do.

The employees were lied to here by anti-union politicians and outside groups. Hell, VW even got the UAW to change their policies to allow the board and the management to make decisions without the OK from the UAW.
Click to expand...

I believe VW was neutral in regards to the union. VW did want a works council of employees.
 
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RJKarl said:
All I read was the thread title. This was a really bad outcome.

What I doubt anyone will talk about is the VW wanted the union in and the employee board to exist. This business model has worked for them for nearly a century in many countries. It what the employees and an executives alike have found to be the most efficient way to run operations.

It was disgraceful for the governor and Senator Corker to intervene and spend money to tell VW how to do business. I thought Republicans were for letting businesses operate they way they want to do.

The employees were lied to here by anti-union politicians and outside groups. Hell, VW even got the UAW to change their policies to allow the board and the management to make decisions without the OK from the UAW.
Click to expand...

What VW wanted was to avoid publicly saying they didn't want the UAW in their business. As others have said they can still have the employee board. That has nothing to do with the UAW.
 
pourdeac said:
So it's illegal to run a plant with a "work council" unless the workers are in a union....so VW needed a union which was going to impose more complex rules on the system so the workers rejected it. How about we change the laws to allow workers to participate in company decisions with being unionized???? Make too much sense?
Click to expand...

+!
 
Seemed like GOP pols were unduly nervous about VW. Even if workers had voted to unionize, TN's still a right to work state and workers still could have opted out of the union if they wanted. There's no way right to work laws are going to be stripped away in the South as long as the GOP is in control. Obama and Biden weren't manning the picket lines in Madison and the convention was held in a right to work state. Labor and social conservatives have a similar problem-both are loyal parts of their parties' base, but have minimal support across the complete electorate and aren't big enough to be stand alone political parties.
 
Since VW wants a council of workers and will a accept a union, if that's what it takes, the employees who wish representation should create their own union next year - make it totally local and without any political ties or interests.
 
Oops...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/20/vw-union-workers_n_4820585.html

Volkswagen employees may have made a huge mistake when they rejected union membership on Friday.

Employees at VW's Chattanooga plant voted against representation by United Auto Workers, leaving the factory as the only Volkswagen plant worldwide without a formal mechanism for workers' representation.

The German "co-determination" model mandates works councils, which connect employees to management, at all large German companies. Following the union vote, the head of Volkswagen's works council told German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung that the automaker would hesitate to expand in the U.S. South.
Click to expand...

Also, The Daily Show on Tuesday was pretty good.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-february-18-2014/labor-fray
 
The UAW should've thought ahead and enlisted the assistance of their Philadelphia ironworkers brethren.

They called themselves "the Helpful Union Guys" - "THUGS" for short - and woe awaited any contractor who dared cross them by hiring non-organized workers.
For, federal authorities alleged Tuesday, this "goon squad" of members of Ironworkers Local 401 set fires, started riots, and took crowbars to the competition in an effort to protect union jobs.

Full article here
 
Sounds like voting against the union may cost them the plant. Good job Governor and Senator!

You guys hate unions more than you love your state and jobs.
 
This doesn't make sense. VW knew the South is right to work and anti-union before they built the plant. They were "neutral" on the union vote, and now upset at the union defeat? Why does the employee council have to be UAW? Why not a local group? VW can build their next plant in Detroit or somewhere in Ohio. Good luck with that.
 
awaken said:
This doesn't make sense. VW knew the South is right to work and anti-union before they built the plant. They were "neutral" on the union vote, and now upset at the union defeat? Why does the employee council have to be UAW? Why not a local group? VW can build their next plant in Detroit or somewhere in Ohio. Good luck with that.
Click to expand...

Please don't interrupt the desperate spin work by our cohorts on the left. They would like to believe that VW just dropped their production facility in a right to work state by accident. They've got delicate egos to protect. Pride goeth before the fall...
 
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