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United Auto Workers Union Stunned by Devastating Defeat in Tennessee
The Blaze ^ | February 14, 2014 | Jason Howerton

Posted on 02/15/2014 7:34:10 AM PST by billorites

Workers at a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee have voted against union representation, a devastating loss that derails the United Auto Workers union’s effort to organize Southern factories.

The 712-626 vote released late Friday stunned many labor experts who expected a UAW win because Volkswagen tacitly endorsed the union and even allowed organizers into the Chattanooga factory to make sales pitches.

The UAW for decades has tried without success to organize a foreign-owned plant in a region that’s wary of organized labor. The loss now makes it even harder for the union to recruit members at another Southern factory.

“If they can’t win this one, what can they win?” asked Art Schwartz, a former General Motors labor negotiator who now is a consultant in Ann Arbor, Mich.

UAW President Bob King, in a 2011 speech to workers, said the union has no long-term future if it can’t organize the Southern plants.

King, however, stuck to statements he made earlier that the union would seek a vote and respect any decision made by workers.

“While we certainly would have liked a victory for workers here, we deeply respect the Volkswagen Global Group Works Council, Volkswagen management and IG Metall for doing their best to create a free and open atmosphere for workers to exercise their basic human right to form a union,” King said in a statement.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: bobcorker; tennessee; uaw; volkswagen
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1 posted on 02/15/2014 7:34:10 AM PST by billorites
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To: billorites

IMO, unions have long ago outlived their usefulness……..


2 posted on 02/15/2014 7:35:30 AM PST by basil (2ASisters.org)
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To: billorites

Jobs and money are hard to come by these days. Don’t let the DemocRAT union thugs raid your paycheck! Just say no!


3 posted on 02/15/2014 7:36:15 AM PST by FlingWingFlyer (As government expands, liberty contracts. - President Ronald W. Reagan)
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To: billorites

You can’t hire good leg breakers anymore.


4 posted on 02/15/2014 7:37:52 AM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: billorites

“While we certainly would have liked a victory for workers here”

If the workers didn’t want to be in a union, for them to have defeated the unionization effort was a victory for them.


5 posted on 02/15/2014 7:38:03 AM PST by jdege
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To: billorites

What, no recount?!

This is a pet lib/Dem issue, surely they’ll find a passel of votes somewhere! Just enough to get over the hump...


6 posted on 02/15/2014 7:41:55 AM PST by DJ Frisat ((optional, printed after my name on post))
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To: billorites
“If they can’t win this one, what can they win?” asked Art Schwartz, a former General Motors labor negotiator who now is a consultant in Ann Arbor, Mich.

You were the GM labor negotiator and you fail to recognize what happened there and what brought GM to bankruptcy? You're more stupid than you think the workers at the VW plant are!

7 posted on 02/15/2014 7:43:02 AM PST by SkiKnee
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To: FlingWingFlyer

Hallelujah!!!!

This is a HUGE defeat for the forces of evil in this country and you can bet your A$$ Obama will be getting an ear full over it!


8 posted on 02/15/2014 7:43:57 AM PST by Bigun ("The most fearsome words in the English language are I'm from the government and I'm here to help!")
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To: billorites

Interesting to note that this is happening in Tennessee, where the Saturn plant used to be. (Hey - does the VW plant happen to be the old Saturn plant, put to good use?) Saturn had a good thing going until two things screwed it up: Infighting GM management, and union meddling. Eventually Saturn became just another cheap Chevrolet with plastic body panels, and an SUV model with a continuously-variable transmission almost guaranteed to fail.


9 posted on 02/15/2014 7:45:11 AM PST by OKSooner ("As the riders went on by him, he heard one call his name...")
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To: billorites

86 vote difference...wanna bet how many women and minorities went for the union? The Union will be back to try again for the vote against the union was less than 100 people out of 1338 voting.


10 posted on 02/15/2014 7:48:59 AM PST by mdmathis6 (American Christians can help America best by remembering that we are Heaven's citizens first!)
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To: billorites
If the Democrats were involved they'd cry racism, disinfancishiment and force an illegal recount where an extra 100 votes would be found somewhere.

The media would make it an international issue and declare TN backwards, redneck, and corrupt.

11 posted on 02/15/2014 7:49:04 AM PST by Vision (Tune out, drop back)
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To: basil
IMO, unions have long ago outlived their usefulness……..

I dunno, I think that there is still plenty of room left in this world for corruption, violence, sabotage, vandalism, intimidation, reduced productivity and bankrupting of entire industries. What planet do you live on?

12 posted on 02/15/2014 7:50:27 AM PST by fhayek
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To: Bigun

I knew it was a victory b/c 1. knew vote was yesterday and 2. nothing reported on MSM - If vote was other way would have received prominent spin

More and more MSM is acting like old time Soviet reporters working for Tass or Pravda in the USSR heyday
. Only news which fit the pre ordained storyline are permitted. Those stories which poke holes or are critical of approved story line are ignored or viciously pilloried.


13 posted on 02/15/2014 7:50:40 AM PST by slapshot
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To: billorites

God please provide safety for those workers who voted against the union monsters.


14 posted on 02/15/2014 7:51:00 AM PST by Vision (Tune out, drop back)
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To: billorites
"King, however, stuck to statements he made
earlier that the union would seek a vote and
respect any decision made by workers."
LIARS! ..VW wanted a European-style union, not a American Unionists (Detroit thug) organization.
You can bet; the so-called NLRB, shall dispute this election and "demand" another election.
of course; w/ very-heavy handed encouragement from pro-unionist thugs brought in from out-of-state to vote for the union.

15 posted on 02/15/2014 7:59:12 AM PST by skinkinthegrass (The end move in politics is always to pick up a gun..0'Caligula / 0'Reid / 0'Pelosi)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

The reason Walmart is hated by liberals. From the days of Sam Walton to now they will not cave in to the Union thugs.


16 posted on 02/15/2014 8:01:15 AM PST by NKP_Vet ("I got a good Christian raisin', and 8th grade education, aint no need ya'll treatin' me this way")
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To: fhayek

Well-—maybe you’re right-——LOL!


17 posted on 02/15/2014 8:07:53 AM PST by basil (2ASisters.org)
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To: mdmathis6

Good points. And explains why unions are for immigration reform in order to get the voting edge.


18 posted on 02/15/2014 8:11:05 AM PST by Hostage (ARTICLE V)
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To: mdmathis6

The Union will be back to try again for the vote against the union was less than 100 people out of 1338 voting.


Sometime in the not so distant future...

Union Thug - “See, the workers voted to unionize with 1900 for and 1300 against!”

Worker - “But there were only 1338 voting!”


19 posted on 02/15/2014 8:11:17 AM PST by Rides_A_Red_Horse (Why do you need a fire extinguisher when you can call the fire department?)
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To: billorites

“for workers to exercise their basic human right to form a union”

So now forming a union is a basic human right?


20 posted on 02/15/2014 8:11:19 AM PST by babygene ( .)
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