[Colonel Kangaroo]

If VW wants labor unions in their US factories there are plenty of Northern states which would oblige.

[Usagi_yo]

I think we should consider that what’s being said is really is for the benefit of Obama and the Liberals. The question is, is it setting the stage for some type of forced unionization?

[GeronL]

Insane.

[DB]

Actually this makes sense.

The German VW union doesn’t want non union competition from the U.S.

And I assume “Volkswagen AG General and Group Works Council chairman” is another name for VW’s union head honcho in Germany.

[Insigne123]

National Socialist German Workers’ Party

[Trod Upon]

Volkswagen = “People’s Car”...a leftover from National Socialist Germany.

[tennmountainman]

Could not agree more. If VW wants unions, they should pack up and move north.

[Baynative]

Does VW know nothing about the union agenda in America?

[ProtectOurFreedom]

As near as I can tell, Bernd Osterloh is NOT a "VW official." He apparently is a paid employee of the "Works Council" of VW, i.e., a union boss.

Business Week: Mr. Bernd Osterloh has been the Head of works council of Porsche Automobil Holding SE since December 2008 and also its Member of Supervisory Board since January 2009. Mr. Osterloh serves as Member of Supervisory Board of Porsche Holding GmbH. He has been the Chairman of the Works Council of Volkswagen AG since 2005 and its Member of Supervisory Board since January 1, 2005.

Reuters: Mr. Bernd Osterloh has been Member of the Supervisory Board and Employee Representative at Volkswagen AG since January 1, 2005. In addition, he acts as Deputy Chairman of the Integrated Automotive Group Committee and as Member of the Presidium Committee, Mediation Committee, as well as Committee for Major Shareholder Business Relationships at the Company. Mr. Osterloh is Chairman of the Group and General Works Councils of Volkswagen AG. He serves as Member of the Supervisory Board at Autostadt GmbH, Porsche Automobil Holding SE as well as Wolfsburg AG. Furthermore, Mr. Osterloh is Board Member of Auto 5000 GmbH, Projekt Region Braunschweig GmbH, VfL Wolfsburg-Fussball GmbH and Volkswagen Coaching GmbH.

[Straight Vermonter]

Because the National Labor Relations Act forbids companies to have an internal union, organizing the local plant can’t be done exactly like the German model.

Think of just how stupid that is.

[BradyLS]

I was gonna say. Surely there’s a blue state that would be happy to share a car company’s wealth with a union.

[Pox]

Screw them. Take their VW plants and move that crap back to Germany. Pound sand and go to hell, IMO.

[Wuli]

As the next dicatator in the WH, I’d throw VW out of the U.S. after 1st making a deal with Nissan, Honda, Toyota or Hyundai to use the plant for building more of their cars here.

[PGR88]

Indeed - if VW loves unions and their political hacks so much, they could have opened their plant in New York.

My guess is this VW manager is just issuing a meaningless statement after-the-fact for PR consumption back home.

[max americana]

LOL, then head to a blue state where they tax you out of everything.

[SuziQ]

Volkswagen AG leaders want a works council because it would allow them to stay in touch with ideas and thoughts from Chattanooga workers and come to future deals about working conditions, Horst Neumann, VW's board member for human resources, said, according to Automotive News.

You don't need a labor union for that, you only need representation on the council from the labor force at the plant.

[central_va]

VW would normally love to build cars with non union workers in the USA, the problem is the krauts building them back home in the factories in Hesse, GE are upset at the thought of non union scabs are building Jettas in the USA. It scares those socialist krausts and makes them feel inferior. And VW loves cowed employees even if it means dealing with a union.

[1010RD]

Isn’t Bernd Osterloh a German unionist? Why is the media pretending he’s just some executive?